Salvation
by meganlovesdinos
Summary: Dean Winchester is more than ready to get his senior year of high school over with. But, on the first day back to school, he meets a boy with black hair and blue eyes. As their friendship forms, Dean realizes that this boy is special. He realizes that this boy may just be his salvation.
1. Chapter One

"Hurry up, Sammy! I'm not going to be late because of you!" Dean yelled up the stairs. A minute later, Sam bounded down the stairs, glaring at Dean.

"I'm 14 now; we go to the same school. Don't call me Sammy."

"Okay, Sammy, good luck with that," Dean retorted, smirking as he grabbed his backpack and walked past his father, passed out on the living room couch, and out the front door, Sam following behind him. He walked over to his Impala and unlocked the driver side door, climbing in and leaning over to unlock the passenger side for Sam. Sam climbed in, still glaring at Dean with all his might.

"Your face will get stuck like that, you know," Dean smirked at Sam, putting the car into gear and driving the car toward school. When they arrived, Sam practically leaped out of the car and sprinted into the school, leaving Dean to smile at his retreating frame. Dean grabbed his backpack, locked up the Impala, and walked into the school, surveying the familiar surroundings. The school looked basically the same as it had the last three years he had attended it. The lights illuminated the hallways, displaying the pristine white walls and the old lockers, remnants of graffiti still vaguely visible on their yellow surfaces.

Dean was so busy looking around he didn't notice the boy in front of him until they collided, causing Dean to stumble back a bit and the other boy to fall, his books scattering across the floor.

"Oh, Jeez, Man, I'm so sorry," Dean apologized, extending a hand to the boy. The boy looked up, skeptical, and reluctantly took the offered hand. The boy was tall, with unruly black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a white button up and slacks.

"It's no problem," he replied, bending down to begin picking up his books. Dean stooped to help him.

"I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?" Dean questioned, standing and handing the boy the rest of his books.

"Uh, yeah, we just moved here," the boy accepted his books, adding them to the pile in his arms.

"Oh. Well, I'm Dean. Dean Winchester," Dean smiled at the boy, holding out his hand. The boy shuffled his books around in his arms to free his hand.

"I'm Castiel Novak," he responded, shaking Dean's hand. Dean's eyebrows knitted together slightly.

"Castiel's a pretty rare name. I've never heard of it before"

"Yeah, most haven't," Castiel agreed, offering a weary smile. The bell signaling the beginning of class rang, cutting the conversation short.

"Well, uh, I guess I'll see you around then, Castiel," Dean offered, a questioning look on his face, unsure of whether or not he had pronounced the name properly.

"Yes," Castiel agreed, an encouraging smile on his face, "I shall see you another time, Dean Winchester." Dean offered one last smile before turning from the boy and walking down the hall to his class. He entered the classroom, seating himself comfortably in the middle to avoid drawing attention from the teacher, aware that the front of the room was for the nerds and the back was for the slackers, both drawing large amounts of attention, whereas the middle was mostly ignored.

"Well, looks like we have history together, Short Bus," Dean turned toward the familiar voice to see a slim blonde girl sitting in the seat beside him.

"Oh, how wonderful, Jo. Can't think of a better way to start my day," Dean teased, earning a playful punch in the arm from Jo. The teacher called for the attention of the class, ending their conversation. Dean zoned out, barely hearing the teacher droning on at the front of the classroom, going on about the policies for the year and the grading system and all the other "essential knowledge" that he needed for the class. Dean didn't even notice the bell had rung until he saw people beginning to pack up their bags and leave. Dean grabbed his bag, looking around for Jo, having expected her to wait for him, only to see her walking out the door with an unfamiliar red haired girl. Dean sighed and set off to his next class, alone. Science went much the same as History had, Dean only noticing the bell had rung because people were getting up to leave. He grabbed his things and trudged to the next class, already weary with how boring his classes were.

Dean walked into his art classroom, a class he had only taken because he expected it to be an easy A, and looked around. This classroom wasn't set up like the others. Instead of desks, there were tables along the walls, and art supplies in the back. Dean surveyed the room, trying to decide where to sit when he noticed a familiar head of black hair. He smiled to himself, walked over and sat down.

"Hey, Cas. I guess we have art together?" Dean questioned, shortening the boy's name for fear of mispronouncing it. Even if he had gotten it right before, it was still a mouthful.

Cas gave him a smile. "It appears we do. Would you like to sit with me?" Dean blinked, slightly stunned at having been invited to do something he planned on doing anyway.

"Uh, sure. Yeah, that's why I came over here," Dean chuckled, taking the seat across from Cas. A silence followed as Cas unloaded his backpack. "So, uh, what other classes do you have?" Dean tried to make conversation.

Cas looked up at Dean and blinked. "Well, I have science first, and then Latin, art third, obviously, history next, then English and math after lunch," he recited, looking up as if trying to remember.

"Nice. I think we have English together. Latin, huh? That's pretty impressive," Dean complimented, trying to be friendly.

"Oh, no, not really. I just have a thing for languages, I suppose. Many of them have Latin roots, and I find it fascinating to see where they all began," he smiled at Dean. Dean smiled back, about to respond, only to be cut off by the teacher beginning to speak at the front of the class. Cas turned in his seat to face the front of the class, and Dean just stared at the back of Cas' head until the bell rang.

"See you later, Dean," Cas smiled at Dean, breaking him out of his reverie.

Dean looked around, only to see people leaving again. Man, he really needed to stop zoning out in class. It was only the first day and he was already ignoring the teachers.

"Uh, yeah. See you around, Cas," Dean smiled back as Cas turned and walked out the door. Dean got up and forced himself to continue walking to his math class, only to spend the whole time staring at the clock, counting down the minutes until class ended and lunch began.

Dean practically ran to the cafeteria, extremely glad to have a break from classes and be able to eat. He was so focused on loading his tray with food that he didn't notice the two girls approaching him until one of them spoke.

"Slow down there, hotshot, or you'll turn into a fatass," Jo joined him in line, followed by the same red haired girl from before. They both grabbed trays and began loading them with food.

"I would tell you the same thing, but it's already too late for you," Dean laughed at the look on Jo's face as they paid and walked over to a table to sit down.

"Dean, this is Anna. Anna, Dean," Jo introduced the red haired girl after they were settled in at the table. "Anna was kind enough to talk to me this morning while _somebody_ zoned out and completely ignored me the entire class," Jo gave Dean a pointed look. Anna smiled up at Dean.

"It's nice to meet you," her eyes sparkled as she said it, and she tilted her head to the left a bit.

"Yeah, you too," Dean smiled back at her. "Thanks for entertaining this one," he motioned toward Jo, "so I didn't have to deal with her horrible rants."

"Dean Winchester, you know my rants are anything but horrible," Jo chimed in.

"No complaints here. I find her rants rather entertaining," Anna joked, smiling again. Dean looked down at his food, and the girls were forgotten, soon tied up in their own conversation about girl stuff or whatever it is they were talking about. Dean was too distracted by the mountain of food in front of him to notice. He devoured it, savoring every bite, ending it all with a slice of apple pie, nowhere near as good as diner pie, but, Dean decided, still acceptable, as far as cafeteria food goes. The bell rang just as Dean finished his pie, and he groaned, mad that lunch was already over, but satisfied that he at least got to sit through English with pie in his stomach.

The girls stood up, waved at Dean, and walked off. Dean stalled, not wanting to stand after having eaten so much. He waited a few minutes, and when he realized the cafeteria was almost empty, he resolved himself to getting up and walking to class. He grabbed his backpack and left the cafeteria.

He heard loud voices coming from ahead of him in the hall and he walked toward them, curious as to what was happening. He saw two boys ahead. They appeared to be beating someone up. He walked closer and strained his eyes to see who the victim was and felt his stomach drop when he saw the familiar head of black hair.

"Hey!" he yelled out almost before he knew what he was doing. He took his backpack off and set it down on the floor, walking closer to the group.

"What do you want, Winchester? This doesn't concern you," one of the boys proclaimed as Dean approached.

"Well, you see, the guy down there just happens to be a friend of mine, so I think it does concern me," Dean retorted, offering a smirk. "So, are you going to let him go, or are we going to have a problem?"

"Didn't know you hung out with fags, Winchester," the second boy spoke up, striding over to Dean.

"Who I do or do not hang out with is my business, and not yours," Dean replied smoothly, not taking his eyes off the boy. "So I repeat myself. Are you going to leave him alone, or are we going to have a problem?" Dean stood a little taller, trying to seem intimidating. He knew he could take them if he needed to, he just preferred not to get into a fight on the first day of school. The two boys looked at each other, and then reluctantly began to walk away.

"Have it your way, Winchester," the first boy said as he backed away. "You and your boyfriend have fun, now," he shot Dean a sick smile and retreated down the hall, the other boy in tow. Dean walked over to Cas and kneeled down beside him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Dean looked Cas over. He could see a bruise forming on the left side of Cas' jaw, but other than that he appeared okay. Cas looked down at the floor, refusing to meet Dean's eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," he confirmed, obviously uncomfortable.

"Uh, you wanna go to the nurse? That jaw would probably feel better with some ice on it," Dean offered, trying to ease the tension.

"No, it's fine. I'll just put ice on it when I get home," Cas still refused to meet Dean's eyes.

"If you say so," Dean conceded, "Uh, I think we have English together now, don't we?" he asked, attempting to ease Cas' discomfort with a subtle subject change.

Cas paused a moment before responding. "Yes, I believe we do."

"Well, then, you think we should get going?"

Cas met Dean's eyes for the first time since Dean had found him. There was a confusion buried in their blue depths. "You don't have to pretend you're okay with this, Dean."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, his eyes now mirroring Cas' confused ones.

"I've been through this before; I know how it is. You don't have to pretend to like me, and you don't have to pretend to be my friend. I know how being friends with the school fag can ruin your reputation. I've been through it at every other school I've been to. I'm completely capable of handling it myself, I don't need you to pretend you're okay with it," Cas spoke with venom in his voice.

"Whoa, Man, I don't know what gave you the impression that I was pretending, but I'm not. I don't give a shit about who you choose to date, that's your own business. I just saw you were in trouble and decided to try and help. That's all," Dean tried to reassure Cas, suddenly aware of how intimidating he could be.

Cas seemed to relax a bit, and he looked up at Dean. "Are you sure you don't care?"

"Of course not, Man. That's none of my business. I was just trying to help a friend out," Dean gave Cas a small smile, trying to convince him his words were the truth. "Now, you think we should head to English?" Dean tried again.

Cas actually managed a small smile in return. "Yes, okay. We are probably late already; we shouldn't postpone any longer."

And, of course, Cas was right. By the time they arrived to class, everyone was already seated and the teacher was speaking at the front of the room. Everyone turned their heads to stare at the pair as they entered. They both walked in as quickly as possible and sat in the last two available seats.

"Thanks for showing up, boys," the teacher announced as they sat down. "May I ask your names?"

"Dean Winchester," Dean offered.

"I'm Castiel Novak," Dean heard Cas say from the back of the classroom.

"Ah, I see. Well, do try to be punctual tomorrow, boys, yes?" the teacher asked, giving each boy a pointed stare. Dean nodded and imagined Cas was probably doing the same thing. "Well, since you boys were late," the teacher continued, "you missed my announcement. Instead of boring you with the same drill of rules and regulations, as I'm sure you're all rather tired of it by now, I am going to assign a project. You are to split up into pairs. You're assignment is to get to know your partner, which, I'm sorry to report, requires you to actually interact with them. Spend time together, in and out of school. Then, I want you to choose which character from Lord of the Flies you think you relate to most. Since I'm sure you all did the summer reading, this should be no problem. Your partner will then choose which character he or she thinks you relate to the most. You each will create a poster displaying both choices and the reasoning behind them. When you are done, you will each present your posters to the class. I'm giving a generous two weeks to complete this project, so I don't want any complaints about getting homework on the first day of class. So, go, now. Partner up," the teacher waved his hand at the class and returned to the chair behind his desk as the students began to stand and move about the classroom.

"Uh, hello," Dean heard a small voice behind him and turned to see a rather nervous looking Cas. Dean was a little surprised that someone who had been so intimidating only minutes earlier now appeared so shy. "I was wondering, do you want to partner up?"

Dean wondered why he seemed so nervous. "Of course, Cas," Dean smiled at him, "sounds like a plan." Cas' shoulders slumped as he seemed to exhale and relax. He smiled back at Dean and took the seat next to him.

"So, where do you want to start?" Dean asked, looking to Cas for guidance. He had never been too good at this whole school thing. He wasn't stupid, he just didn't feel like the homework was worth his time.

"Well," Cas pondered for a moment. "We can start off with the basics for the duration of class. We could make a list of some basic questions and take turns asking them. That would at least be a start."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. And you can come to my house after school, if you'd like. I can drive you, it's no problem," Dean offered. He realized how thankful he was that Cas was in this class. If he hadn't been, Dean would have been stuck getting to know some other random person, and that was just not his idea of fun. Cas seemed cool. Dean didn't mind getting to know Cas.

"That sounds good, Dean," Cas smiled at him. "So, I suppose we should start on our lists?" Dean nodded, agreeing, and they both pulled out pieces of paper and began scribbling down questions. Dean started with the easy, obvious questions. Favorite color and food, music Cas liked, what he wanted to do after high school, simple stuff like that. After a few minutes of silent scribbling, Cas cleared his throat. Dean looked up at him.

"Are you ready to begin the questioning, Dean, or do you need more time?" Cas smiled at him, making Dean feel at ease.

"Um, no, I'm fine. We can start now," Dean replied.

"Okay, I suppose I shall start. Who is the most important person to you?" Cas asked. Dean suddenly felt like a jerk for having gone for the easy questions. He could tell Cas' were going to be a lot more personal and profound.

"My brother," Dean replied almost instantly. Cas looked at him, seeming to hang on Dean's every word. Cas didn't speak, so Dean continued to explain. "My mother died when we were little. Our father kind of went off the deep end after that, so it's really just been the two of us our whole lives. I look out for him and he looks out for me," Dean finished. Cas was smiling at him, and Dean felt slightly naked at having revealed something so personal. Cas wrote down a few notes on his paper.

"Your turn, then, Dean," Cas was still smiling when he spoke.

"Um, what's your favorite food?" Dean questioned lamely, embarrassed at how shallow his question seemed after Cas'.

Cas chuckled, "Cheeseburgers, actually." Dean laughed at that, genuinely surprised. The rest of the class went on in the same fashion, the two of them taking turns asking questions (Cas' being much deeper than Dean's, obviously). Dean was actually a little disappointed when the bell rang for class to end.

"So, uh, meet me by the front entrance after school and we can drive to my house? I can drive you home when we're done," Dean looked at Cas to make sure he was agreeable.

"Yes, Dean. That is fine with me." He smiled at Dean one last time before gathering his belongings and walking out of the classroom. Dean grabbed his bag and followed suit, finding his metal shop class easily.

Lucky for Dean, metal shop was one class he actually liked. Unlucky for Dean, his metal shop teacher didn't get the 'cool English teacher' memo and was doing more of the rules lecture. Dean zoned out, tired of the 'follow these rules or you'll lose a finger' speech. He simply stared at the clock and counted down the minutes.

When the bell finally rang, Dean bounded out the door and toward the front of the school, surprised to find Cas already waiting for him when he arrived.

"You ready?" he asked, causing Cas to jump slightly and turn to look at Dean.

"Oh. Yes, I am" Cas replied and followed Dean into the parking lot. When they arrived at the Impala, Sam was leaning against the door, waiting.

"Took you long enough," he said as soon as Dean was in earshot.

"Shut up, Sammy," Dean retorted, and then he remembered Cas behind him. "Cas, this is my brother Sammy. Sammy, this is Cas. Cas is gonna come hang out at our place for a bit," Dean introduced the two.

"It's Sam," he held out his hand for Cas to shake. Cas simply smiled and accepted the hand, nodding. Dean climbed into the driver side of the car, laughing as he saw Sam bound for the front door, leaving Cas to sit in the backseat. Dean sent him an apologetic smile in the rearview mirror before he started the car and drove toward home.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note:**_ My apologies on taking so long to update. I forgot I had posted on here as well. I have up to chapter fifteen posted on ao3. Do you guys want me to catch you up on here and just post all the chapters I have, or do you want me to post a chapter every so often? Let me know. Again, sorry, and thanks for reading._

Dean was surprised when he was greeted by an empty house. He led Cas through the living room, wincing at the empty beer cans on the coffee table, and went into the kitchen.

"You want anything to eat or drink?" Dean asked, playing the role of accommodating host.

"Um, something to drink would be great," Cas smiled warmly at Dean. Dean walked over to the fridge to find something for Cas to drink when he noticed a note stuck to the fridge door with a magnet.

_Working. Be back in a few weeks._

So that's why the house was empty. Dean scoffed and ignored the note, opening the fridge and pulling out some juice. "Is this okay?" he asked, turning to Cas.

"That is fine, Dean," Cas agreed, and Dean grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and filled it before handing it to Cas.

"Uh, you wanna head up to my room?" Dean offered, and Cas nodded, grabbing his drink and following Dean up the stairs. Dean led Cas into his room, sitting on the bed and motioning for Cas to join him. He obliged, sitting next to Dean on the bed, placing his drink on the bedside table. It was silent for a few minutes before Dean decided to speak.

"So, uh, what do you want to do?"

"I believe the assignment was to get to know each other," Cas replied innocently.

"I know, but you don't get to know someone by just sitting next to them. We have to interact, or something," Dean offered, slightly exasperated.

Cas considered that for a moment. "You are right, Dean. I suppose we should discuss something. Perhaps you should tell me about your family, and then I will tell you about mine?"

Dean was a little taken aback. "Sure, I guess there's no point wasting time with the shallow questions," he conceded. "Like I said in class, my mom died when Sam and I were young. Sammy wasn't even a year old, so he never even knew her. But I did, and I remember everything about her. She was great, you know. The best mom anyone could ask for. My dad was a good guy before she died. He worked a lot, but he took care of us and he tried to be here as much as possible. But after Mom died, he just kind of gave up. I could tell that a part of him died with her. He began drinking, and sometimes he just disappears for weeks at a time. He says he's working, but God only knows what he's really doing. I know it takes a toll on Sammy, you know. But we have each other, and Bobby helps out a lot. Bobby's an old friend of my dad's, so he's not really family. But, to be honest, he's the closest thing to a father I've ever had," Dean finished, slightly embarrassed at having gotten so emotional in front of someone he barely knew. It was strange to reveal so much about himself to someone he had just met, but he wasn't particularly worried. Cas didn't seem like the judgmental type. Cas smiled and placed a comforting hand on Dean's arm, and Dean looked up at him, grateful. "So, uh, I guess it's your turn," Dean finished, cueing Cas to tell his story.

"Well, there's not much to tell, really," Cas began. "I have two siblings. Anna is my twin, though you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at us, and Gabriel is my younger brother. We've moved around a lot because my parents are travelling missionaries, but Gabriel threw a fit a few months ago about wanting to go to the same high school for all four years. He must have complained enough to get through to them because they decided that we would be settling in this time, and moved us here. Only, they really meant just we kids would be settling in. They still leave to travel the country and spread the word of God, but at least we're able to stay put now instead of travelling with them. I've never really been close to my parents, so it doesn't bother me much that they're gone. My siblings and I are really close, so I have them, and that's all I need," Cas smiled warmly at Dean, seeming to be completely comfortable in spite of the topic of conversation. Dean thought about what he had just heard for a few minutes before deciding to breach a touchy subject.

"Do you mind if I ask you something personal?" Dean asked, trying to ease into the question.

"I believe that is the point of the assignment, Dean," Cas smiled, teasing.

Dean laughed in spite of himself. "True. Well, you said your parents are missionaries, right?"

"Yes, Dean, that is correct."

"Well, do they know about you, you know, the whole you being gay thing?" he asked slowly, carefully, trying his hardest not to offend Cas.

Cas' smile faltered momentarily, but it was back in place almost immediately. "No, they do not know about my preference in romantic partners. I do not believe they would take to it too kindly. My siblings do know, though, and they accept me completely, as I am. That's all the acceptance I need," he smiled again, but this time he seemed to be smiling for his siblings. Dean smiled, too, glad that Cas at least had somebody.

Silence ensued. Cas reached over and grabbed his cup from the nightstand, taking a sip. The silence didn't seem to bother him at all, but it was driving Dean insane. He fiddled with his thumbs, hummed to himself, tapped his fingers on his knees, anything to take his mind off of the silence. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"So, uh, you wanna watch a movie or something?" he asked, desperate to find any way to fill the room with sound.

"That sounds like a pleasant suggestion," Cas agreed.

"What kind of movies do you like?" Dean questioned.

"Oh, I don't really know. My family- I never really watched movies much," Cas explained, seeming to be a little embarrassed.

"Oh, then you're in for a treat," Dean laughed, motioning for Cas to follow him downstairs. Dean walked into the living room and over to the entertainment center, opening the cabinet on the right to reveal his extensive DVD collection. It was something Bobby had helped him put together. It was something he and Sammy could do together, for free, to help keep them both out of trouble while their dad was gone on his extended work leaves.

Cas looked surprised. "You do have a large selection, Dean."

"Yup, I sure do. Pick anything you want and we'll watch it," Dean beamed, unable to deny his pride at being able to introduce Cas to something new.

"No, Dean, that is okay. This is your house, it is only appropriate that you choose the movie," Cas tried to argue.

"No, man, seriously. I've seen all these movies a thousand times already, anyway. You choose. Find something that you think looks good," Dean smiled.

Cas smiled at Dean and nodded, turning back to the huge collection of movies and beginning to look through them. Dean smiled and waited patiently, curious to see what Cas' pick would be. Cas soon turned back to Dean, movie in hand, with a shy smile on his face.

"I do hope this choice is alright with you," he said, handing the movie over to Dean. Dean looked down to see the case for Dogma held firmly in his hands. Of course Cas would choose a movie with a religious theme, his parents were missionaries after all. He must have grown up in a religious household.

"Yeah, man, this is great," Dean reassured him. If he was going to watch a religious movie, at least it was a funny one. Dean turned back to the television, popping the DVD into the player, and then making himself comfortable next to Cas on the couch, pressing play on the remote when the menu came up.

Dean watched Cas react as the movie played. He watched him laugh at the subtle religious jokes, noting the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he did. He noticed the way Cas would tilt his head to the side when he was confused, and admired how he was so attentive, making sure to catch every detail, never removing his eyes from the screen and barely blinking the entire movie. He noticed that Cas' hands were no longer folded neatly in his lap, as they had been before, but they were now comfortably resting by his sides, as if he felt more relaxed. When the movie ended, Cas turned to Dean, a huge grin on his face.

"I enjoyed that very much, Dean," he said as the credits rolled.

Dean smiled back, pleased. "What did you like about it?"

"I enjoyed the religious aspects interwoven with the comedy. It was very refreshing," he sighed contentedly. There was a buzzing sound. It was Cas' phone vibrating, Dean realized, as Cas pulled out his phone and began reading and replying to a text.

"It's my sister, Anna. She's asking where I am," he informed Dean. "I hadn't realized how late it was, I should probably get home," he looked up at Dean, and Dean couldn't help but think there was a bit of disappointment in his eyes.

"No problem, I can drive you home," Dean smiled. He walked up the stairs to his room, grabbing his keys and jacket. He peeked his head in Sammy's room on the way out to let him know he was leaving before descending the stairs to find Cas waiting by the front door for him.

"You ready?" he asked, and Cas nodded.

"Yes, Dean." They walked out the front door and Dean unlocked the Impala, letting Cas sit in the front seat this time.

"So, where do you live?" Dean asked as he started up the car.

"Not too far; it's only a few blocks away," Cas informed him. "Go down to the stop sign and make a right." Dean did as he was told, and followed the directions Cas gave. "It's this house, on the right," Cas said, pointing to a rather large house with a perfectly manicured green lawn in front. Dean pulled up to the curb in front of the indicated house and put the car in park, turning to look at Cas.

"Thank you for the ride, Dean. I rather enjoyed myself, today," Cas looked down bashfully.

"Uh, no problem, Man. Yeah, I had fun, too. Maybe you can come over tomorrow again and we can work on the project some more," Dean agreed.

Cas beamed at him. "I would like that very much, Dean."

"Cool, then. See you at school tomorrow?" Dean asked.

"Yes, see you tomorrow," Cas agreed before opening the door and stepping out of the car. Dean waited until he saw Cas enter the house before he began the short drive back to his house. He walked in, suddenly realizing how tired he was and how late it was. He walked upstairs and let Sammy know he was home before taking a quick shower and crawling into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **_I'm so sorry I didn't post the rest of the chapters sooner. I totally thought I had but then I checked and saw I hadn't. So I am now. Sorryyyyyy again._

Dean woke up early the next morning, five minutes before his alarm went off. He felt good, for once. He didn't need to drag himself out of bed. He didn't feel groggy and exhausted, as if he hadn't slept at all. He felt good, refreshed. He climbed out of bed and dressed, actually taking the time to pick out his outfit (a pair of snug fitting jeans and a plaid flannel), convinced that a day that felt this good required looking nice for. After dressing, Dean went down stairs. He could hear Sammy fumbling around in his room as he passed.

Dean walked into the kitchen and looked around for something to fill his rumbling stomach. He thought back to Sammy up in his room, probably still groggy, forcing himself to wake up, and decided that both of them deserved a nice meal for once. He opened the fridge to find that they actually had eggs and bacon (thanks to Bobby). He pulled both out and set them on the counter before proceeding to pull a pan out of the cupboard. He opened the bacon package and pulled out the thick slices, placing them in the pan, relishing the sizzling sound that soon filled the room and the maple scent that wafted up toward him.

While the bacon was cooking, he looked around and noticed some fruit sitting on the counter. He chuckled to himself, remembering how Sammy had insisted they buy the fruit because they needed 'a more balanced diet.' He grabbed the bananas and the apples, cutting them up. By the time they were all sliced into easily edible pieces, the bacon was done and Dean set about making scrambled eggs. When the eggs were done, Dean pulled two plates out of the cupboard, placing some fruit, eggs, and bacon on each one. Sam walked down the stairs just as Dean was setting the plates on the table.

"What's this?" he asked Dean, very obvious confusion visible on his features.

"I got up early and decided we both deserved a nice meal. Come on, sit down. Eat it before it gets cold," Dean beamed at Sam, unable to hide his giddiness. Not only did he wake up in a great mood, but he loved doing stuff for Sam to make him feel more like they had a real home. The kid deserved at least that much.

"You got up early, and you made breakfast," Sam forced out, obviously confused but sitting at the table and beginning to eat nonetheless. Dean just smiled, sitting down across from Sam and beginning to eat his own food. When they were both done, Dean washed the plates and left them in the dish drainer. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was time for them to leave. Dean had never realized how much time he wasted refusing to get out of bed in the morning. He ran upstairs and grabbed his backpack, proceeding back downstairs and out the front door with Sammy on his heels.

They drove to the school slowly, Dean drumming his hands on the steering wheel and humming happily the whole way. After they had parked, Sammy got out and gave Dean a confused expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked for what felt like the millionth time to Dean.

"Yes, Sammy, I'm perfectly okay. Just happy is all," Dean grinned at Sam. Sam gave a weak smile back and retreated into the school. Dean locked up the car and followed suit, walking in just as the warning bell was ringing. Dean set off to history, taking his usual middle of the room seat, and waited patiently for the teacher.

Dean actually paid attention in class. He listened to the lecture and took detailed notes. He was so attentive he even earned a few confused glances from Jo, but he disregarded them, focusing on the lecture instead, determined not to let anyone get him down.

Science passed in the same fashion. Dean even ventured as far as to raise his hand in class and earned surprised recognition from the teacher, which turned into surprised praise as Dean correctly guessed the chemical symbol for Magnesium.

So, needless to say, Dean was in particularly high spirits as he entered the art classroom. His mood soared as he saw the familiar head of black hair sitting at the table. He walked over confidently, a huge grin on his face, and clapped Cas on the back.

"Hey, Man. How's your day going?" he asked, taking the seat across from Cas without waiting to be invited.

Dean earned the same confused expression he had been receiving all day, but the one Castiel sent him had a hint of amusement mixed in. "My day has been fine, thank you, Dean. You seem rather happy today. May I inquire as to what the cause of your peculiarly chipper mood may be?"

"Just in a good mood, I guess. The sun's shining, the grass is green, and I have awesome friends like you to share it all with," Dean sent a huge grin Cas' way. Cas seemed slightly bewildered, and Dean could have sworn he saw a faint blush appear under his pale cheeks. He chuckled, fully aware of how unnaturally proud that thought made him, but too happy to really care.

"Well, Dean," Cas tried to regain his composure, "I am glad to see you so cheerful." Cas sent Dean a genuine smile before the teacher began talking at the front of the class, informing them that they were being given their first assignment. To asses each of their individual styles, the teacher told them they were going to being drawing and coloring a simple pencil sketch of something they felt represented them, anything they wanted, to be turned in at the end of the class. Dean shot up and walked quickly to the back of the classroom, grabbing enough paper and coloring pencils for two, making it back to the table before Cas had even gotten up, placing half the supplies in front him with a huge grin. Cas simply looked up at Dean before a grateful smile appeared on his lips.

Dean resolved himself to drawing the easiest and most obvious choice: the Impala. He didn't particularly care if anyone thought it was a good choice. He loved his car, and she was beautiful and easy to draw, and everyone else be damned if they disagreed because Dean refused to let anyone put a damper on his mood. Dean knew he wasn't the best artist, but he wasn't the worst, either, so he set about drawing the automobile, shading in the bumpers and the wheels, not caring too much about perfection and just enjoying his assignment, for once.

Dean glanced up from his work to look at Cas'. Curiosity had taken over and he wanted to know what Cas had decided to draw as a representation of himself. He tilted his head to get a better viewing angle of Cas' sketch. Cas was drawing what appeared to be a shark. Dean remarked with a hint of surprise how incredibly good the drawing was. The shark was incredibly realistic; Dean could have mistaken it for a photo. It didn't look ferocious or anything, it wasn't eating anyone and there were no dead bodies or anything around it. It was just swimming peacefully through the ocean. Dean's brow furrowed as he tried to decipher the meaning of Cas' choice. Finally, after trying and failing to figure out the meaning, he resolved to just ask Cas.

"So, uh, why are you drawing a shark, Cas?" Dean asked, looking at Cas with a smile that he hoped was reassuring. Cas looked up at Dean and seemed to hesitate for a moment before sighing and looking down at his paper, continuing to draw as he spoke.

"Sharks are persecuted. They are displayed as ravenous monsters who seek out people only to destroy them. They are hunted down and slaughtered mercilessly because people assume they are these hideous creatures that deserve to die a horrible death. But, in reality, all they're doing is trying to survive, just like the rest of us." Cas' jaw was set in a firm line and Dean could tell he was trying to hide his anger. Dean suddenly realized the meaning of his choice. It should have been obvious. Cas was gay. And, on top of that, he had missionaries for parents. Dean couldn't imagine the merciless bullying he must have received for it in his past schools. Even when Dean had first approached him in the hallway after chasing off the two assholes who had been assaulting him, he had assumed Dean would want nothing to do with him. Cas was used to being bullied; he was used to being alone. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. Dean couldn't stand the idea of Cas being treated such a way, especially over something like that.

Dean did the only thing he could think to do. He reached out his hand and placed it on the back of Cas' reassuringly. Cas looked up at Dean, confusion etched into his features. His other hand had stopped moving, his shark only half colored.

"I think sharks are beautiful," Dean stated, the remnants of his good mood not allowing him to feel embarrassed about his words at all. He smiled at Cas and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before pulling away. Cas bit his lip before a small smile took over. Dean saw something flicker in his blue eyes, their brilliance seeming to stand out to him more today than they had the previous day. He couldn't quite make it out, but he thought it almost looked like appreciation.

Dean finished his drawing of the Impala, only slightly embarrassed by it when he compared it to Cas', and turned it in to the teacher at the end of class, exiting the classroom with Cas before they separated and walked to their classes.

Dean had never liked math, but he still did his best to pay attention to the lecture and take notes. This class somehow seemed duller than the first three had. Dean tried to attribute it to the fact that his giddiness may be wearing off, and the fact that it was math didn't help either. But no matter how hard he tried to explain it away with logical reasoning, he couldn't deny the fact that at least a little of it was because Castiel wasn't in this class and, compared to a fun art class with Cas right next to him, math just right out sucked.

Dean walked to the cafeteria, taking a cursory glance around in an attempt to spot Cas, but failing as he was nowhere to be found. He saw Jo and the red haired girl from before, Dean couldn't remember her name, something with an A, and he approached them, getting into the food line and then sitting down at the table with them. Dean again zoned out, focusing on his food instead of the girls in front of him, until something caught his attention.

"Anna, no, how can you say that?" Jo was saying. "The first Left for Dead is waaaay better than the second one. The gameplay is so much better and the character choice dominates. Not to mention the fact that the second game relies too heavily on forcing the players to plan out tactics in order to succeed. The first one just lets you go out and kill some zombies without too much thought."

Anna opened her mouth to reply, but Dean cut her off, realization dawning on him.

"Wait, Anna? As in Cas' sister, Anna?" he asked, suddenly interested in what this red haired girl had to say.

"Uh, Cas?" she asked, seeming confused. "Oh! You mean Castiel. Yeah, he's my twin. How do you know him?"

"I didn't know you had a twin-" Jo began to say, but Dean interrupted.

"He's in my English class. We're doing a project together. He was at my house yesterday when you texted him asking where he was," Dean explained, ignoring the annoyed look Jo was sending him.

"Oh. Really?" Anna asked, seeming both skeptical and confused. Dean noticed.

"Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?" he inquired, wondering what could make her so confused. It wasn't like it was a complicated response.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that Castiel came home last night talking all about how he had made a good friend and how he, well, I guess you, were amazing and how you had watched a movie and just hung out and talked and how he had enjoyed himself so much and I just didn't think you were the type," Anna finished, trying to speed up the ending as if that would make it less offensive. Dean registered somewhere in the depths of his mind that he should probably be annoyed that she had made that assumption about him, but all he could think about at the moment was how Cas had been talking about him and how Cas had enjoyed the time they spent together and how Cas had called him a good friend and how Cas had called him amazing.  
Dean didn't really know why it mattered so much to him. Sure, Cas was cool, but they had only met the day before. It really shouldn't be that big of a deal. Dean supposed it was because he didn't really have that many good friends. He had Jo, yeah. And he had Ash and Chuck and a couple other people that he hung around with. But as far as real, close friends went, he was rather lacking. And he liked Cas. He could see himself being real, good friends with Cas.

Dean didn't even try to hide the smile that erupted from Anna's words and spread across his face, lighting up his eyes as it did. Jo sat on the sidelines and watched the situation play out, her forehead creased in concentration as she tried to make sense of it all. The bell rang, then, and Dean jumped up and bounded out of the cafeteria, eager to get to English, and Cas. Dean sat in the same seat he had the previous day and waited eagerly, watching the door, waiting for Cas to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long. Not a minute after Dean had sat down, Cas walked into the classroom, punctual as ever. He looked up and smiled as he made eye contact with Dean, choosing to take the seat next to him. Dean opened his mouth to speak, but the teacher walked in at that moment, quieting the class.

The teacher simply looked at the class expectantly and exclaimed "Well, what are you waiting for? You have an assignment. Go!" and he sat down in his chair behind his desk, pulling out a book and reading. It was then that Dean realized the teacher had probably only assigned the project because he didn't feel like working for the first two weeks of the semester. Dean didn't mind, though. It wasn't like he was upset at the lack of work.

Dean turned to Cas to see him placing his notebook on his desk, a pencil in hand. He couldn't help but grin widely at him, unable to contain his glee. Cas glanced up at Dean and did a double take when he noticed how big Dean's smile was.

"What has you so elated now, Dean?" he asked simply, tilting his head a bit in confusion. Dean silently wondered if he just walked around all brooding and that's why people were so confused when he seemed happy. He made a mental note to look less upset.

"Oh, nothing, man, nothing," Dean tried to play it off, "it's just that, you know, I spoke to your sister, Anna, at lunch today."

Dean saw Cas tense up, his pencil stopped midsentence in his notebook. "Oh, did you? I see. So, you're asking my permission to court her, then? I assure you, Dean, she is a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. You need not ask me for permission," Cas continued writing in his notebook, not once looking up.

"What, man? No," Dean furrowed his brow and he felt his forehead scrunch up in confusion. Cas thought he wanted to date Anna?

Cas looked up then, his expression guarded, giving nothing away. "Oh. Then, what is it?"

Dean regained his grin from before and stared straight into Cas' eyes. "Anna told me what you said last night after I dropped you off." Cas' jaw dropped slightly and Dean watched as his entire face turned a deep shade of red. He seemed stunned for a moment before seeming to regain consciousness and look down at his notebook again, refusing to meet Dean's eyes.

"Sh-she did?" he stuttered, and Dean couldn't help but chuckle at his nervousness.

"Yeah, man. And you know what? I think it's awesome," his grin widened, if that was even possible, as he stared at Cas, gauging his reaction. Cas immediately looked up at Dean, his eyes widened in confusion.

"Y-you do?" he asked, seeming to be unable to believe what he had just heard.

"Yeah. I think you're cool, too, Cas. And I think you're a great friend, and last night was awesome."

Cas beamed. "I am very glad you think so, Dean."

Dean smiled back, "So, you still coming over after school?"

Cas nodded. "Yes, Dean. That sounds delightful."


	4. Chapter Four

Cas did come over after school, every day for the next week and a half. He and Dean grew close, passing the time in various ways. There were more movies, explorations into music, deep conversations that continued through texts after Dean had driven Cas home. Dean was a bit stunned by it all, but it was impossible to deny: Castiel Novak had quickly become his best friend.

It was Friday after school. Dean walked into his bedroom and set his supplies and his backpack down in a corner. Cas followed him in and stood to the side, waiting for Dean to get the posters and supplies all set up. After Dean had done that, the boys sat next to each other on the floor, large blank posters and a new package of markers in front of them. They had gotten to know each other, there was no doubt about that. Now, they had until Monday to finish their posters.

"So," Dean began, looking up at Cas, "where do you want to start?"

Cas thought for a moment before crawling over to his backpack and pulling out his notebook. "We could make notes first, and then transfer them over onto the posters," he suggested. "That way we don't ruin them."

"Okay, Cas. Sounds like a plan," Dean agreed, smiling. "But you have to write it all down. You know my handwriting is shit."

"Your handwriting is perfectly fine, Dean," Cas disagreed, but grabbed a pencil and began to write anyway. "So, which character from Lord of the Flies do you think you resemble the most, Dean?"

Dean thought for a moment before replying, hesitantly. "Roger."

Castiel's brows furrowed and a look of deep confusion took over his features. "Why do you believe that?"

Dean looked down, embarrassed and ashamed. "I don't know, man," he replied casually, trying to act as if this wasn't hard for him to admit. "I just feel like, if I were put in the same situation, I would do the same thing. He kills people and he tortures people in order to get what he wants. No matter how much I want to deny it, I feel like there's this part of me that would be capable of doing those things and, if I needed to, would do them without hesitation." Dean fiddled with his hands, refusing to look up. This assignment was stupid. Why the hell did they have to do something like this, anyway? What did this have to do with English?

"I think you resemble Ralph," Cas spoke, breaking the silence.

Dean looked up, his eyes connecting with Cas'. "What, why?" he asked, confused.

"You are much better than you give yourself credit for, Dean Winchester," Cas explained, never breaking eye contact. "You are a natural born leader. You are also quite logical and resourceful, when it is required of you. And even if you were facing the end of the world or, as it was for Ralph, an all-consuming fire and a tribe of heathen children were hunting you, I believe you would maintain your resolve and stand strong, because that's what you do," Cas finished, offering a weak but reassuring smile. Dean offered a weak smile back, unable to resist returning Cas' smile. Cas wrote down some notes in his notebook.

"Who do you think you're like, Cas?" Dean asked after Cas was done writing. Cas looked down. It was obvious that he, too, was ashamed of his response.

"Jack," he replied simply.

"Are you kidding me, Cas? You're nothing like Jack, what the hell could make you think that?" Dean replied, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"I believe that, while I am rather civil now, I may grow weak, if given power. I believe that, when given that power, I would be overcome by my desires, and that I would destroy anyone who stood in the way of those desires. I believe my conquest for power would be a bloody one," Cas ended, still staring at the floor, twirling his pencil nervously in his hands.

"Now you listen to me," Dean retorted, unable to contain his response any longer. "You are absolutely nothing like Jack. You know who I think you're like? Simon. You're special, Cas. You are so observant and you just seem to connect to everything. You seem to appreciate every little thing that you experience and interpret it in this completely meaningful way that nobody else would have ever thought of. And, from what I've seen, you're pretty much the voice of reason. Even if no one listens to you, you're always there, trying to convince them to do the right thing. And maybe they hate you for it, and maybe they'll shun you, but you never give up. You'll always be there, telling them what to do. That's you, Cas. You're not some blood thirsty, power hungry maniac. You're the good one, Cas. The only good one," Dean finished, reaching out to grab Cas' chin and force him to look at Dean. When their eyes met, Dean could tell that there were tears trying to force their way out, but Cas refused to let them escape. He took a deep breath and gave Dean a weak smile, but Dean could tell that it was real, and that was at least something.

"Thank you, Dean," Cas said after a few moments of silence. He grabbed his pencil and marked down a few notes before setting the notebook in between them.

"So, then," Dean offered, "shall we get started?" He smiled at Cas again and grabbed a marker, beginning to work on his poster. Cas sat still for a second, staring at Dean, before grabbing a marker and beginning to work on his own poster.

They had been working for about twenty minutes when Dean heard the door slam downstairs. He stopped drawing and listened. Sammy was already home, in his room, Dean had just heard him moving around. And he wasn't expecting anyone over; Bobby would have called first. Who the hell had just walked into their home?

"Sam? Dean?" the unknown intruder called. Dean's face paled. No, no, no! He wasn't supposed to be home yet! This couldn't be happening. This was bad, very, very bad. Cas looked up at Dean and stopped drawing when he noticed the look on Dean's face.

"What's wrong?" Cas asked, worry coating his words, but Dean clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" Dean hissed, grabbing Cas' hand and yanking him up. "Hide in here," he ordered, pulling Cas to the closet and shoving him inside, accidentally knocking over the juice Cas had set on his desk.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, fear consuming him. He looked up at Cas, not even trying to hide the despair that he knew was now covering his features. "Be quiet, and no matter what, don't come out," he added, closing the closet door and looking around for a towel to clean up the spilled juice. There were none. His bedroom door opened, and Dean turned around, trying to remove all the traces of fear that were evident on his face. That would only make it worse.

"Hey, Dad," he said casually, attempting to disguise the panic that was now pulsing through him.

"What the hell is this, boy?" John asked, motioning to the posters lying on the ground. Dean silently damned himself for forgetting to hide them.

"It's a school project. I was just working on it," Dean answered. It was the truth, after all.

"Why are there two of 'em?" John asked, looking up at Dean with obvious doubt in his eyes.

"Oh, well, my partner is really smart, so I was just looking at his to try and get some ideas to make mine better," Dean lied smoothly, impressing even himself. John grunted in response, seeming to accept this as a reasonable answer. He was just about to turn and leave when his eyes landed on the red liquid that was now soaking into the carpet.

"What the hell is that, Dean?" he asked, motioning toward the spill, though he didn't need to. Dean knew what he was referring to.

"Well, uh, I accidentally spilled some juice, Sir," Dean added on the last part to try and suck up a bit. "I was looking for a towel to clean it up when you walked in. I figured addressing you was more important at the moment." The words rushed out of Dean's mouth, and he knew he had just revealed how frightened he truly was. John's eyes narrowed. He took a few steps toward Dean, their faces now mere inches apart.

"You knew the spill was there and you didn't tell me? You were trying to hide it from me?" John accused, and Dean tried his hardest not to flinch away from his father.

"I- I was going to clean it up, Sir. I didn't want to upset you; I didn't think it was a big deal-" Dean felt the open palm of his father smack into his cheek, cutting him off. He let out a surprised yelp, but quickly bit his tongue in order to keep from making any more mistakes. John grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

"No a big deal, huh, boy? You know what color that juice is, Dean?" John asked, still pinning Dean to the wall.

"R-red, Sir?" Dean ventured an answer, knowing that not responding would only anger his father more.

"Are you asking or do you know?" John mocked.

"I know; the juice is red, sir," Dean replied, looking down at the floor.

"Yes, the juice is red. And you know what color your carpet is, Dean?"

"My carpet is white," Dean answered again.

"And do you know what red juice does to white carpet?"

"It stains it, sir," Dean replied, already knowing where this was going.

"Yes, it stains it. And do you know who paid for that carpet?"

"You did, sir," he replied, the resignation leaking into his voice. He had been through this before. He knew it was better to just keep quiet and take it in silence. To speak out would only anger John more and make everything worse.

"You're god damn right I did!" John yelled, pulling Dean away from the wall and slamming him back into it. Dean whimpered quietly, refusing to meet his father's eyes. "I paid for everything in this house! I do everything for you boys. And this is how you repay me? I just got back from a job, trying to take care of my sons, and I find out that you ruined the carpet by spilling juice on it, and then tried to lie to me about it?" John, still grabbing onto Dean's shirt, pulled him away from the wall and threw him across the room. Dean slammed into the desk, knocking his lamp to the ground and shattering it. The force of the throw flipped Dean over the desk, causing him to land on the shards of his now broken lamp, one of them slicing his palm open. Dean yelped, pulling his sliced hand into his chest. But John was already there, grabbing Dean by the collar again and dragging him over to the red puddle.

"You want to act like a dog and ruin my carpets, then I'll treat you like a dog," John spat, grabbing Dean's face and rubbing it into the juice stain. Dean gasped as his face was rubbed into the carpet, trying his best to turn his head to the side so he could breathe. After a few harsh rubs, John let go and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Cas burst out of the closet as soon as the room to Dean's door was shut, rushing over and kneeling down beside Dean. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Dean began to push himself up, hissing as he put pressure on his cut hand. He used his uninjured hand to push himself up the rest of the way and sat back on his knees. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, unable to meet Cas' eyes. He was ashamed and humiliated and scared and all these other things that he didn't want Cas to see.

"Here, let me look at your hand," Cas said, reaching out to try and grab Dean's hand. Dean heard his father banging around in the kitchen downstairs, probably looking for more alcohol to drink.

"No," Dean pulled away from Cas. "You have to go," he said, grabbing Cas and pulling him over to the window, sliding it open silently.

"But what about you, Dean? You're injured," Cas protested.

"I'll be fine, Cas. If he comes in here and finds you that'll just make it so much worse. Please, just leave. I'll call you later, okay?" Dean replied, staring at the windowsill instead of at Cas. Cas' shoulders dropped and he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed, beginning to climb out the window. Dean reached out and grabbed Cas' wrist, causing him to turn around and look at Dean. Dean finally made eye contact with Cas, displaying every emotion he wished he could ignore.

"I'm sorry," Dean whispered, shutting the window behind Cas before he had a chance to reply, and proceeding to pick up the pieces of broken lamp and clean up the puddle of spilled juice that had started it all.


	5. Chapter Five

Dean stumbled through the park, a half empty bottle of whisky in the hand that didn't have stitches in it. He walked over to the swing, trying to catch himself on it, only to hiss as he put pressure on his wound. He let go of the swing and fell to the ground. He brought the bottle of whisky up to his lips and took another swig. This is what he did; this is what he always did. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol. It was the Winchester way.

He fumbled around in his pocket until he found his phone. He pulled it out and scrolled through his contacts until he found Cas' name, and then he hit call. He knew he had promised Cas he would call him, but that wasn't why he was dialing his number. He just wanted to talk to Cas. Cas was his voice of reason, the angel on his shoulder. He needed to talk to Cas.

The phone only rang twice before Cas picked up, his voice frantic. "Dean, what the hell?! I've been waiting for you to call for hours!"

Dean suppressed a chuckle at the fact that Cas had almost cursed, and then his forehead scrunched up in confusion.

"Wha time sit?" Dean slurred over the phone.

"It's 10:32 pm, Dean. Are you drunk?" He could hear the exasperation in Cas' voice.

Dean giggled. Cas was so smart. "Yup. Sure am, Cas. I was-I was just callin you cuz I said I would. You should comeer," Dean slurred some more. He heard Cas sigh on the other end of the line.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at da park, Cas. Come n find me," Dean giggled some more and took another swig of his whisky.

"Stop drinking, Dean, I'll be there in two minutes," Cas replied.

"No, Cas, Don' leave me" Dean tried, but Cas had already hung up. Dean let the phone drop from his ear and tried to calm himself. It was okay that Cas had hung up, he would be there soon. He took another swig of whiskey, ignoring Cas' voice in his head telling him to stop, and waiting patiently on his back in the sand.

Dean heard the rumbling of a car and looked up to see headlights approaching the park. The car pulled up to the curb and a tall figure got out. Dean watched as the figure approached him, and pulled a grin as he saw who it was.

"Heyyy, Casssss," Dean dragged out the words. "I been waitin for ya."

Cas looked down at Dean disapprovingly. He sighed deeply before leaning down quickly and snatching the whiskey bottle out of Dean's hands.

"What wuz dat for?" Dean asked, unsuccessfully reaching for the bottle.

"You don't need any more to drink," Cas explained, chucking the bottle into the nearest garbage can before leaning down to pick Dean up, throwing an arm over his shoulder and walking him to the car. Cas grabbed the seatbelt and leaned over Dean, buckling him in. When Cas climbed into the driver seat, Dean was struck with panic.

"Wait, Cas, no!" He practically yelled. "I don' wanna go home," he looked down and bit his trembling lip. Cas looked up at him then, and all the anger was gone out of his eyes.

"I know, Dean," he replied softly. "I'm taking you to my home." Dean smiled at that, his nerves settled, and he relaxed back into the seat as Cas drove. When they pulled up to Cas' house, Dean fumbled with his seatbelt before Cas opened the passenger door and unbuckled him, holding him up and leading him into the house. Dean wasn't really paying attention to much except the fact that Cas was holding him up. Dean could smell the cologne Cas wore and it was making his head swim. Cas was talking to somebody, but Dean couldn't really hear what they were saying. Suddenly they were walking up some stairs, and then Dean was being laid down on a bed. Dean sat up and looked at Cas as he sat down on the bed next to Dean.

Cas looked up at Dean, and, as their eyes met, Dean saw everything, everything Cas was feeling. The concern, the appreciation, the anger, the fear, the love. The _love. _All of it was there, in Cas' eyes. For him, for _Dean. _Suddenly Dean felt like he was drowning. It was all too much, he couldn't handle it, he didn't deserve it. He inhaled a deep breath, but it only came out as a sob. Dean reached up to cover his face, the tears streaming down, soaking his cheeks. Cas scooted over to Dean and placed his arms around him, pulling Dean into his chest and stroking his hands through his hair.

"It's okay," Cas whispered, and that's when Dean lost it. He pulled away from Cas and stared straight into his eyes.

"No, Cas! It's not! It's not okay at all!" He yelled, the tears still streaming down his cheeks. "I'm such a fuck up, Cas. You heard my dad. I don't do anything right. I'm just a failure, a loser, and a coward. I'm going to turn out just like my father! I mean, look at me. Getting drunk to deal with my problems? Step one on the road to being John Winchester; we can just check that one off the list! All I am is a waste, a mistake. And then there's you, Cas. And you're so good. And you do all your homework and you're so smart and you always know how to make me laugh. You use all these smart words and you speak differently and dress differently because you are different. You're better, Cas. Better than everyone else. And here I am, stupid little Dean Winchester, can't do anything right. And then I run into you, and your tie is all messed up and your blue eyes are staring up at me. And then we become friends, and, fuck, Cas, you're amazing. And I like you, so, so much. And you're the best friend I've ever had. Seeing you every day, the way you spend all your time in the library, and you know Latin, and you wear a button up and a tie to school every day, because you like to, and you're just so damn incredible, Cas, and I'm so lucky, so lucky, to have you as my friend. But it's such a waste. For someone like you, someone as good as you, to waste your time with me. It's not right, Cas. Someone as perfect as you shouldn't waste your time with someone as worthless as me. And I'm sorry, Cas. For fucking up, and for wasting your time. Because you deserve so much better and I can't give it to you. And I'm sorry, Cas, I wish I could, but I can't, and it's just so unfair to you and I wish I could change it but I can't." Dean looked up at Cas to see a look of bewilderment. Cas just scooted closer to Dean and put his arms around him until he calmed down, his sobs subsiding and his breaths evening out. When the tears were all dried up, Cas pulled away and lifted Dean's chin, forcing him to look Cas in the eyes.

"Now you listen here, Dean Winchester," Cas began, his blue eyes flaming. "You are not worthless and you are not a mistake. You are the most incredible man I have ever met and you deserve so much more than that man, who hardly deserves to be called your father, gives you. You are smart and you're funny and charming and you wear the cutest flannel shirts and you love pie and your car and you're so passionate, Dean. About so many things. About Sam. Do you think he would be anywhere without you, Dean? No, he needs you. He relies on you because you're there for him. You are so protective of the things you care about, Dean. You're caring, even though you refuse to admit it. You are the incredible one. And, as for you claiming that I deserve better: you're wrong. There is no better than you, Dean Winchester. You light up the room when you walk into it, and it's impossible to be sad when you're around. You are good, Dean. I am not wasting my time with you, I assure you."

Dean's eyes were starting to droop, but he smiled up at Cas nonetheless, reaching up and placing his stitched up palm on Cas' cheek. "Thanks," he mumbled. Cas leaned back and lowered Dean onto the bed, pulling down the blankets and tucking Dean in.

"Sleep well, Dean," he heard Cas mumble. He was hazy from the booze and fatigue, but he could have sworn he felt Cas press a kiss to his forehead before he drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter Six

Dean awoke to a pounding in his brain. It felt like someone was banging on his head with a hammer. He sat up and groaned, holding a hand to his head, trying to ease the pain, only to be startled when he realized he wasn't in his own room. He looked around the room. It was impeccably clean and organized. There was a bookshelf against the wall completely filled with books, and there was a desk in the corner with a computer sitting on the desk and more books stacked around it. The bed was big enough to fit multiple people, but he noticed there were still some blankets and a pillow on the floor, as if someone had slept there. He looked to his left and saw a door, a sliver of light emerging from the bottom. He jumped slightly when the door opened to reveal Cas, still in his pajamas, his hair all mussed up from sleeping. Dean couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Good morning, Dean," he greeted, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking up at Dean. The sound made Dean's head pound harder, but he had expected that. He'd experienced his fair share of hangovers. Dean scolded himself for noticing how snug Cas' sleeping pants hugged his hips and forced himself to look Cas in the eyes.

"Morning," Dean greeted, gripping his head.

"You must feel terrible," Cas remarked, noticing Dean's discomfort. "I left you some aspirin, in case you hadn't noticed," Cas motioned to Dean's right. Dean turned and, sure enough, some pills and a glass of water were sitting on the bedside table.

"Thanks, Cas," Dean smiled at Cas appreciatively before swallowing down the pills with a gulp of water. A momentary silence passed before Cas spoke again.

"About last night," he began.

"Look, I'm sorry, Man," Dean interrupted. "I know I shouldn't have called. I shouldn't have involved you in my problems and it wasn't right."

"No," Castiel replied. "That's not what I was talking about. I'm glad you called me, Dean. I'm glad I could help. But, um," Cas paused, flustered. Dean noticed with surprise. Cas was never flustered, he always knew what to say, had a word or phrase for everything. "What you said, about me. Did you- did you mean it?" Cas asked, fidgeting with his hands and biting his lip nervously. Dean thought back to last night, trying to remember what he could. He remembered lying on his back in the sand, he remembered Cas picking him up and driving him here, he remembered Cas carrying him, he remembered the way Cas smelled (why did he remember that?), he remembered being placed on the bed, and he remembered breaking down. He remembered everything he had said. And, yes, he had meant it.

"Uh, yeah," Dean answered, looking at his hands, feeling the heat rise up his cheeks. "Yeah, I did."

Dean ventured a look up at Cas to see him smiling a huge smile at Dean before launching forward and wrapping his arms around Dean's neck, pulling him into a hug.

"Whoa, Cas," Dean chuckled, awkwardly hugging Cas back.

"Thank you," Cas replied in a shaky voice. He pulled away and looked up at Dean, his eyes slightly wet, shining with happiness. Dean just smiled back, in awe that something so simple had evoked such a strong reaction from Cas. "So, uh," he continued, trying to keep his voice even, "are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast?"

Dean chuckled, looking up at Cas. "You read my mind." Cas smiled, grabbing  
Dean's hand and leading him out of the room. Dean noticed their interlocked hands. Cas hadn't let go even as they descended the stairs and began toward the kitchen. No matter how hard Dean tried to deny it, he couldn't. He didn't want Cas to let go. He _liked_ holding Cas' hand.

Cas finally released Dean's hand as they entered the kitchen and Dean couldn't help but notice how cold his hand felt now. Cas motioned for Dean to sit down at the island in the middle of the kitchen and began rummaging around in the fridge. He pulled out of the fridge, a frustrated look on his face, before smiling and opening a cabinet.

"Are pancakes okay?" he asked, pulling out a bag of pancake batter.

"Uh, yeah," Dean agreed, watching as Cas began mixing together the batter. Cas pulled a pan out of the cabinet below the sink and began cooking the pancakes. Dean watched his fluid movements as he created a stack of perfectly fluffy pancakes before Cas grabbed two plates and loaded them up, covering the pancakes in syrup and setting one in front of Dean. Cas grabbed two forks and handed one to Dean before sitting down next to him.

"I do hope they taste fine," he said, watching Dean eagerly as he took his first bite.

"These are delicious, Man," Dean reassured him. And they were. They were all fluffy, hints of cinnamon and brown sugar surfacing as he chewed. Cas smiled at Dean, obviously pleased, before beginning to eat his own breakfast. Dean turned to Cas, realizing he had never seen him eat before, and watched as Cas slowly brought a fork full of pancakes up to his mouth, opening his mouth and biting the pancakes off the fork. Dean began to chuckle as a drizzle of syrup stuck to Cas' lip, but the laugh was caught in his throat as he realized how quickly his heart rate had accelerated. What the hell was wrong with him? This was Cas he was looking at, his best friend Cas.

Still, he watched in awe as Cas chewed his pancakes, refusing to acknowledge his accelerated heart rate, before finally returning to his own stack and continuing to eat. They ate in silence until they were both finished. Cas politely grabbed Dean's plate and walked over to the sink, rinsing both plates off before placing them in the dishwasher. He turned to look at Dean, a shy smile on his face.

"Well, since this is the first time you've been to my house, would you like to stay for a while?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," Dean agreed with a smile. He was curious about Cas' house since he had never been here, and he wouldn't mind hanging out with Cas some more. Besides, it just meant he had more time before he had to go home and deal with the fallout of the previous day, and he was definitely thankful for that. "Just let me call Sammy and let him know I'm okay," he added, searching his pockets for his phone. Cas nodded and left the kitchen to give Dean some privacy. When Dean finally found his phone, he dialed Sam's number and hit call, listening to the rings anxiously as he waited for Sam to answer.

"Dean," came Sam's voice from the other end immediately after the rings had ceased.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean greeted, relieved to hear his brother sounding okay.

"Where are you? Are you okay?" Sam asked, his concern leaking through the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sam. I spent the night as Cas' house. Sorry to worry you," Dean reassured his brother. Out of this whole ordeal, he felt the worst about causing his brother so much stress.

"Good, I'm glad you had somewhere to go." There was a pause before Sammy spoke again. "Dad's gone," he concluded with a tone of finality.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"He left. Said he had more work to do and he would be back in another few weeks. You have nothing to worry about when you come home," Sam answered, sounding somewhat melancholy. Dean hung his head. He knew Sammy knew what was going on, but it still bothered him. That kid deserved some level of innocence, and Dean wished he could have kept this away from him.

"Thanks, Sammy," Dean replied after a moment. "I'm gonna hang out here for a while longer, kay? I should be home later."

"Okay, see you later, Dean."

"Bye, Sammy," Dean replied before pulling the phone away from his ear and ending the call. He slipped his phone back into his pocket before exiting the kitchen through the same door Cas had. He saw Cas leaning against the wall, waiting for him. When Dean entered, Cas looked up and smiled.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Dean answered. "My dad's gone. Left for more work," he added. Dean was glad Cas hadn't pressured him into talking about what had happened with his Dad. That was one conversation he really didn't want to have right now, but he figured that bit of information would be enough to calm Cas' nerves. He knew Cas would worry about him if he knew Dean was going home to face his dad. Cas smiled and nodded, dropping the matter after that.

Dean followed Cas back up the stairs and into his room. Cas opened his closet and pulled out a pair of clothes (a button up and slacks, like always) and retreated to the bathroom to change. Dean waited patiently on the bed for him to emerge. When he did, he walked over to the bed and sat down next to Dean, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

"So, this is my room," he announced.

"I kind of assumed that," Dean chuckled, looking at Cas. "It's nice. I wish my bed was this big."

Cas looked up then. "I suppose it is a bit indulgent to have such a large bed just for me, but it is rather nice to sleep on."

"Speaking of which, why did you sleep on the floor last night?" Dean asked, motioning to the pillow and blankets that were still sprawled out on the floor.

Cas tilted his head to the side, a telltale sign he was confused. "You were sleeping in my bed," he answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"So?" Dean replied. "Your bed's huge, it's not like we couldn't both fit." He felt bad. He had called Cas to come get him when he was drunk, imposed on his private space, and then, on top of it all, Cas had slept on the floor because of him.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," Cas replied, still looking at Dean with a confused expression.

"Next time, don't sleep on the floor on my behalf. We could have both easily fit. Just shove my drunk ass to the edge or something," Dean chuckled. Sharing a bed with another guy wasn't ideal (although this wasn't just another guy, this was _Cas_), but Dean would be damned if his best friend was going to sleep on the floor just because he was being a drunk jerk. "Unless," he added warily, "you know, it would bother you to share a bed with me. In that case, just make me sleep on the floor. You don't need to sleep on the floor in your own house."

Cas smiled at Dean, his head still slightly cocked to the side. "No, Dean, it would not bother me at all. I shall keep that in mind next time." Dean smiled at that, refusing to acknowledge how excited it made him to think about a next time.

"So," he replied in an attempt to change the subject. "Your room is pretty nice. You have way too many books though," he teased.

Cas chuckled. "I have to disagree with you, Dean, I do not have enough books."

There was a knock on the door. "Castiel?" A decidedly female voice inquired, opening the door slowly as she did so. "Do you have any plans in the next few hours? I was planning on taking the car." It was Anna. She was leaning casually in the doorframe now, waiting for a response.

"No, Anna. You may take the car, that is fine," he smiled at his sister. Dean observed quietly from the sidelines. Anna nodded at Cas, then turned to look at him.

"Good to see you've joined the land of the living, Dean. Even if it is well into the afternoon." Dean gave her a confused look before turning to look at the clock on Cas' bedside table. It read 3:24 pm. Dean was stunned he had slept so long, he would have assumed Cas would have woken him earlier. No wonder Sammy had been so worried.

He simply turned to Anna and nodded. "Yeah, well, I didn't realize it was so late," he shrugged. She rolled her eyes before turning from the two boys and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her. A few minutes later, Dean heard the engine of the car roar to life outside before Anna pulled out of the driveway and left.

Dean turned to Cas. "Well, since I've never been here before, why don't you give me a tour?" Cas beamed at Dean and nodded his head up and down before leading Dean downstairs and beginning to give him a tour of the house. He showed Dean the kitchen, the living room, the library (Dean could tell that was Cas' favorite room), and his parent's rarely occupied bedroom before leading him upstairs and pointing out Anna's and Gabe's rooms before they ended up back in Cas' room. Cas took it upon himself to show Dean everything in his room, which consisted mostly of him telling Dean about his extensive book collection. Dean wasn't really into books, but the way Cas' face lit up as he told Dean about all his books, where he got them and what they meant to him and what they were about and which ones were his favorites and why, made Dean want to listen. So, he did listen as Cas walked him through every single book that lined the wall of his bookshelf.

When Cas was done, they sat back on his bed and talked. Anna came home around nine, and Cas turned to Dean when he heard the rumble of the engine pulling into the driveway.

"Would you like to stay another night?" he asked, and the hope was so obvious on his face that even Dean couldn't ignore it.

"Yeah, okay," Dean agreed, telling himself he was staying for Cas. "But I should probably go home first so I can maybe shower and grab a few things."

Cas nodded and smiled at Dean, getting up and walking down stairs to meet Anna and get the keys from her. Dean followed Cas and climbed into the passenger seat as Cas drove him home. When they arrived, Dean turned to Cas.

"You can go home and wait, if you want. I can shower and get ready then drive the Impala over there."

"Are you sure?" Cas asked. "I don't mind waiting for you, Dean."

Dean smiled, but insisted. "Naw, it's alright. I'm probably going to be a while, anyway. Besides, if we have the Impala, we can leave without having to worry about whether or not Anna wants your car."

Cas nodded, and watched Dean as he got out of the car. "I shall see you in a while."

"Yeah, see you in a bit, Cas," Dean smiled before turning and walking toward the house as Cas drove away.

"Sammy?" Dean called as he walked through the front door. He heard thumping and a second later a shaggy head of hair appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Dean!" Sam yelled before running over to his brother and hugging him. Dean hugged Sam back wholeheartedly. Their hugs were rare, but when they occurred, they meant something.

"I'm sorry, Sammy," Dean muttered as he released his brother. Sam just looked up at Dean and smiled a sad smile. "I'm gonna stay at Cas' again, I just came home to shower and get some stuff," Dean continued in a lighter tone.

Sam's smile became more genuine. "Okay," he said as he and Dean both headed up the stairs. Dean grabbed a towel from the hallway closet before entering the bathroom and starting the shower. After he was done, Dean wrapped a towel around himself and walked across the hall to his bedroom, throwing on a clean shirt and a pair of jeans before packing a bag with a clean change of clothes and some pajamas, doing his best to avoid looking at the red stain that remained embedded in the carpet. Before he left, Dean grabbed the two posters that were now stacked behind his door and left his bedroom, knocking on Sam's door as he went letting him know that he was leaving and to call if he needed anything.

Dean tossed his stuff into the back of the Impala and started her up, driving to Cas' house. When he arrived, Dean grabbed his bag and the two posters out of the back and walked up to the house, knocking on the front door. He only waited a minute before the door opened, but it wasn't Cas standing in the open door, nor was it Anna. The boy in front of Dean was rather short with brown curls and a lollipop hanging out of his mouth.

"Whoa, you must be the famous Dean-o" the boy said as he opened the door, pulling the lollipop out of his mouth. "My brother dearest never shuts up about you, and now I can see why."

"Gabriel!" the boy turned around to see Cas standing behind him, his face red with what Dean could tell was both embarrassment and anger.

"What, Big Brother? I was just priming him up for you," Gabe smirked at Cas before walking past him and into the kitchen. Dean's jaw dropped as he watched the kid walk away. Cas walked over to the door, his cheeks still flaming.

"My apologies," he said, motioning for Dean to come in but refusing to look up at him. "Gabriel has never been one for manners." Dean regained his composure and stepped around Cas to enter the house.

"Uh, it's cool. Can't help what your brother does, right?" He gave Cas a reassuring smile, trying to ease the tension. Cas nodded, and led Dean up the stairs to his room. The blankets from earlier had been returned to their proper place on the bed, and it looked as if Cas had tried to tidy up a bit, though there wasn't much that needed to be cleaned. The stack of books that had been by the computer just seemed to have shrunk a bit.

"You can just put your stuff there," Cas said as they entered the room, motioning to the corner by the desk.

"I brought our posters so we could work on them tomorrow," Dean said as he placed them and his bag down in the indicated area.

"Good thinking," Cas complimented with a smile. Dean smiled back.

"You can use the restroom to change if you want," Cas said, pointing to the door Dean had seen him exit this morning when he had first woken up. Dean nodded, digging around in his bag until he pulled out his pair of pajama pants. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, pulling off his jeans in exchange for his sleeping pants. He exited the bathroom to find Cas had changed, too, and was now in the same sleeping pants from last night, sitting on the bed. Dean smiled at him, tossing his jeans into his bag and climbing onto the other side of the bed. He looked over at Cas just in time to see him stifle a yawn, covering it with his right hand.

"You look tired," Dean commented with an amused smile. Cas replied with a shy nod.

"I got up rather early this morning. I just didn't want to disturb you because I thought you needed rest," he answered.

"Then let's go to bed. I'm still a little achy from last night, anyway, I could do with some more sleep," Dean replied truthfully. He didn't usually sleep well, and there was still a dull thud in the back of his head, not to mention his whole body ached from his encounter with John.

"Are you sure?" Cas asked hesitantly. "I do not wish to bore you. If you would like to stay up, I am fine with that."

"Naw, I'm sure. Let's get some sleep. You look like you could use it," Dean chuckled, noticing the way Cas' eyes were beginning to droop. Cas nodded, pulling the blankets down and climbing into bed, and Dean did the same. He made sure to stay on his side of the bed to ensure Cas had enough room. Cas reached over and turned off the lamp beside his bed, encasing the room in darkness.

"Good night, Dean," Cas said tiredly as he rolled over, only to fall asleep immediately.

"Good night, Cas" Dean replied to the sleeping boy. He rolled over onto his side and smiled to himself, letting the soft snores from the other side of the bed lull him to sleep.


	7. Chapter Seven

Dean awoke with his face pressed against something hot. He groaned, trying to pull away from the heat, but something tightened around his waist, holding him in place. Dean blinked his eyes open tiredly, searching for the cause of the heat. He looked up to find Cas' face only inches from his. The boy was still asleep, breathing evenly, his arm wrapped around Dean possessively.

Dean propped himself up slightly on his elbow, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before realizing with a shock that his shirt was mysteriously missing. He tried to recall when he had lost it and vaguely remembered removing it in the middle of the night in an attempt to cool himself down. With Cas' heat radiating off of him and pouring over Dean, it was no wonder he had overheated. Dean noted with some embarrassment that it would have been easier to just move away from Cas, and he wondered how long they had been wrapped up in each other.

Dean's movement must have roused the other boy because Cas slowly opened his eyes and looked down. "Dean?" he questioned groggily. "What's going on?"

"Um," Dean muttered, unsure of what to say. He looked down at Cas' hand gripping his waist as if that would give him the answer. Cas' eyes followed Dean's and his eyes suddenly lit up with realization.

"Oh," he replied awkwardly, quickly retracting his arm, and Dean would never admit wishing he hadn't. "S-sorry," he stuttered, a blush quickly rising up his cheeks.

"It's, uh, it's okay," Dean replied, his own blush making an appearance. He ducked his head, refusing to acknowledge just how truly okay it had really been. Cas sat up and Dean leaned back to give him some room, realizing how close they still were.

"Did you sleep well?" Cas inquired, obviously trying to return the conversation to the realm of normality.

"Yeah, actually. Haven't slept that well in years," Dean admitted, truthfully.

"You need a better bed," Cas remarked casually.

"I could just stay in yours," Dean replied without thinking. His face instantly turned a deep shade of red as he realized what he had just said. "I mean," he tried to remedy the situation, but the words got stuck in his throat. He shut his mouth and just sat there, dumbfounded and embarrassed.

Cas smirked, and something like recognition glinted in his eyes. "I'm not opposed," he replied, looking Dean directly in the eyes, the smirk still in place, before glancing down at Dean's exposed chest and back up to his eyes. Dean's mouth dropped open. What the hell did that mean? Was Cas i_flirting/i_ with him? And why did the idea that he might be cause Dean's heart to pound in his chest?

Cas just chuckled and climbed out of bed, walking over to the closet to grab a change of clothes (i_another/i_ button up and slacks) before retreating to the bathroom to change. Dean stood, walking over to his bag to pull out his change of clean clothes, and waited patiently for Cas to emerge from the bathroom so he could have his turn to change. When Cas did finally emerge, he was still buttoning up his shirt (Dean definitely did_ inot/i_ sneak a peek at the bit of exposed chest) and walked past Dean with this mischievous look in his eyes. Dean swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, before he walked into the bathroom and shut the door quickly behind him. He changed, then looked at himself in the mirror and mussed his hair a bit before walking back out into the room, placing his sleeping clothes back into his bag.

Cas had already grabbed their posters and was placing them side by side on the ground. He walked over to his desk and opened the drawer to reveal a wide variety of art supplies.

"Whoa, man," he commented as Cas grabbed some supplies and carried them over to the posters. "I didn't know you had all this."

Cas looked up at him and smiled. "I do rather enjoy drawing. I occasionally venture into other areas of artistic expression."

"Yeah, I remember that shark you drew in art. That was pretty awesome," Dean recalled how utterly realistic it had looked.

"Thank you," Cas muttered, before motioning for Dean to join him on the floor. They sat in front of their posters and began discussing the best way to organize and present them. Cas decided the posters would look more "cohesive" if Dean wrote his opinion of Cas on Cas' poster and Cas wrote his opinion of Dean on Dean's poster, that way both posters had a bit of each boy portrayed in it. Dean grumbled a bit about how bad his handwriting looked next to Cas' but pulled Cas' poster toward him to write his opinion on it anyway. Cas beamed at him, and Dean decided that made the whole thing worth it. They both finished writing the information on their poster and Cas took it upon himself to decorate the posters, drawing little pictures of islands and conch shells and a pair of glasses and conch shells in the margins. When they were finished, Dean appraised the posters, telling Cas this was probably the most effort he had put into a school project, ever. Cas had chuckled at that, and told Dean that he would be putting a lot more effort into school now that Cas was here to make him.

When they were finished with their posters, Dean glanced at the clock and decided he should go home. Cas walked Dean out to the Impala and, after Dean had tossed his bag and poster into the back of the car, he turned around to say goodbye to Cas, only to be pulled into a tight, impromptu hug. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean's neck and pulled him forward, rubbing his nose along Dean's neck.

"I shall see you tomorrow, Dean Winchester," Cas whispered into Dean's ear, his breath hot on Dean's neck. Dean's breath hitched and goose bumps erupted up his arms. Cas pulled away, a smirk on his face, and retreated back into the house before Dean had a chance to reply. Dean stood there for a moment, stunned, before climbing into the Impala and driving toward home. When he arrived, he carried his things inside and dropped them off in his room before returning downstairs and falling onto the living room couch next to his brother.

"Hey, Sammy, how's it going?" he asked casually, grabbing the remote off the coffee table and turning the television on, flipping through the channels. Sam glanced up from his book.

"It's about time you got home," he remarked, looking back down at his book.

"Cas and I finished our English project," Dean explained.

"I've been trying to get you to focus on school for years and Cas already has you whipped in a matter of two weeks? I knew I liked the guy for a reason," Sam teased, holding his book up like a shield as Dean reached over to smack him in the arm.

"Shut up," Dean laughed along with his brother before returning to flipping through the channels, finally settling on reruns of Dr. Sexy. Sam raised his eyebrows at Dean over his book, but Dean gave him the 'say a word about this and I will kill you' look, and Sam simply chuckled before continuing to read.

A few hours later, Dean was walking up the stairs toward his bedroom, telling Sam to do the same. He changed into his sleeping clothes, smiling when he realized they smelled like Cas, and flopping onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, recounting the events of the day. Waking up tangled up with Cas, feeling his arms wrapped around Dean, the way he held Dean closer, refusing to let go. Dean remembered the way his voice sounded when he had first woken up, and the way he looked so confused when he realized Dean was so close to him. Dean remembered the pale and firm triangle of Cas' chest that he had witnessed when Cas had been buttoning up his shirt. Dean remembered the mischievous glint in Cas' eye when he noticed Dean looking, and the way his blue eyes shone when they were working on their posters. His eyes, so blue, the bluest Dean had ever seen. Dean remembered Cas hugging him tightly, whispering into his ear, sending shivers up his spine and the way his heart beat faster when Cas looked at him and the way Cas' smile made him smile and-

Oh, God. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. This was not happening.

Did he? No, he couldn't. Could he?

Did Dean i_like/i _Cas? Like, in a romantic way? In a hi, I think your awkwardness and strange vocabulary and outfits are extremely cute and I totally want to kiss you kind of way?

Dean thought about everything that had happened: how he had noticed the tight fit of Cas' sleeping clothes, the fact that he enjoyed waking up with Cas, the way his heart beat accelerated whenever Cas got too close to him, his constant blushing, his reaction at Cas whispering in his ear. Christ, it all made sense. How could he have not noticed it before?

Dean felt his throat dry out and he erupted into a coughing fit. He hadn't been like this since the fifth grade. Not even with the girls he dated. Most of them were just quick flings that only lasted until Dean got bored. But this? This was different. He liked Cas. He i_really/i_ liked Cas. In a way that made him want to be more than friends, but not just a fling. He liked Cas in a way that he actually wanted to try really being with him.

Dean stared up at the ceiling, thinking about everything he had just realized, and everything it meant. What if Cas didn't like him back? What if he ruined his whole friendship with Cas by pursuing something more than friendship. Cas was his best friend, he didn't want to ruin what they had. He hadn't been this close to anyone, really. Ever.

What if Cas did like him back? What then? Would they be together? What would everyone at school think? Would they be ridiculed? What would John think? Or Bobby? Or, oh, God, what would Sammy think?

Was Dean gay? I mean, he had never like a guy before, but he couldn't deny it now that it was staring him directly in the face: he definitely liked Cas. Maybe he wasn't gay. He knew he liked girls. Bi, maybe? But, Cas. Cas was the only guy he liked. Cas was the only person he liked. And he i_really/i_ liked him.

He was so screwed.

With these thoughts swimming around in his head, resurfacing over and over, Dean eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep. One that he knew would have been better if he had been in a very specific other person's bed instead of his own.


	8. Chapter Eight

Dean got up the next morning without having really slept. He crawled out of bed, showered, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and got into the Impala without really thinking about it. The only thing that was going through his head was iI like Cas, oh my God, I like Cas/i on repeat. He was simply following the motions, moving solely on muscle memory, his mind a million miles away. Sam gave him a confused look as he climbed out of the car after Dean had parked in the school parking lot.

"Dude, are you okay? You haven't said a single thing all morning."

"Yeah, Sammy, I'm fine," Dean muttered, unable to look at his brother for fear of giving himself away. What would Sam think if he found out? Would he be disappointed? Dean automatically reprimanded himself for even thinking that. He knew Sam, he was always the accepting and caring one. He was like Mom. Sam would never be disappointed in him, not for something like this. But, still. Dean didn't want Sam to find out, not yet. He needed to figure it all out for himself first.

Dean automatically knew who he needed to talk to. He knew the one person he could tell this to without worrying about her reaction or word spreading around school. After dropping his poster off in his English classroom, he wandered through the school until he found her leaning against a wall surrounded by all of their friends. He quickly approached her and leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

"Jo, I need to talk to you."

She jumped before turning around to glare at him. "Who the hell do you think you are, sneaking up on me like that?" she questioned, eyes blazing.

"I need to talk to you," Dean repeated, "alone," he added, looking around at the group of people who hadn't even taken notice of his presence. Jo's eyes softened as she took in Dean's appearance and heard the pleading tone of his voice. Dean knew he hadn't been hiding his stress well, but he must have looked pitiful for Jo to cave that easily. She nodded, and Dean turned around and led her to a most deserted corridor of the school. He turned to her and hesitated, trying to think of the best way to phrase what he needed to say, before he decided the blunt truth would probably be the best way to go. It always was with Jo.

"I, uh," he stuttered a bit. "IthinkIlikeCas," the words tumbled out of his mouth.

"What, Dean? Slow down," Jo replied.

Dean took a deep breath and tried again. "I think I like Cas," he said before ducking his head, unable to make eye contact.

"I think that's pretty obvious, you guys are friends, you've spent like, every waking second together. I must admit, I've been feeling a little jealous," she teased.

"No," he sighed, exasperated. He looked up and past Jo, searching for the words to express how he was feeling. "I think," he began, but faltered as he saw him walk around the corner. His breath hitched, he was the last person Dean wanted to see right now. Cas was now walking down the hall toward him and Jo, only he wasn't wearing his signature button up. Instead, he was wearing the exact same shirt Dean had taken off in the middle of the night while he had been sleeping at Cas'. He must have forgotten to grab it when he left. Cas looked up and his eyes met Dean's and a smirk spread across his face.

"Hello, Dean," he practically purred as he passed Dean and Jo, walking past them as if nothing had even happened. Dean's jaw dropped and he just stood there dumbstruck before Jo finally spoke up.

"What the hell was that about?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "And was that your shirt?"

"Uh, yeah, that's what I've been trying to tell you," Dean replied, flustered. "I, uh, I think I like Cas. Like, uh, like more than a friend," he muttered, getting quieter as the sentence went on.

Jo looked confused for a few more moments before everything seemed to click into place and her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh my God!" she practically yelled. "Did you guys hook up?" she added a bit more quietly.

"What? No!" Dean replied, holding his hands up. "I spent the night at his house over the weekend, I just forgot my shirt there." Jo looked at him skeptically, her eyebrow raised. "Nothing happened!" Dean continued.

"Uh huh, okay," Jo continued, a smirk on her face. "Well, if you like him, make a move."

"What?" Dean asked. How could she make it seem so simple?

"Dude, just make a move. You're kind of a slut, you know how to flirt," Dean glared at her for that and she just chuckled. "Just flirt with him and see if he responds. If he does, make a move."

"Jo, it's not that simple," Dean protested, his head swimming.

"Why not?" Jo replied.

"For one thing, I like chicks! What will everyone say if I just start dating a guy? I don't even like guys. What will my dad say? And Bobby? What will happen to my reputation? And, he's like my best friend, Jo. What if he rejects me and then it's awkward and I lose him as a friend? What if it all goes wrong?" Dean rushed through it all, trying to vocalize all the worries that had been bombarding him since the previous night.

"Calm down, Dean. None of your friends care who you date, they all like you for you, and if anyone tries to give you shit I'll beat them. Your dad's never around and Bobby will love you no matter what. Who gives a damn about your reputation? Fuck anyone who makes you feel worse just because of who you like. If you make a move and he doesn't go for it, then suck it up and move on. Don't let it get awkward, just try your hardest to be his friend and work on moving on. But, I think you need to make a move. Fuck the whole sexuality crisis, Man. I've never seen you this flustered over anybody," Jo lectured, giving Dean a serious look he rarely saw on her face.

Dean nodded, suddenly reassured. He knew Jo was the right person to talk to. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him into a surprise hug.

"You're always looking out for everyone else. Do what makes you happy for a change," she whispered in his ear before pulling away and smiling at him. Dean smiled back before the bell rang and they separated to go to their own classes. Dean sat through his first two classes, barely paying attention. He was nervous. He could barely contain himself. He didn't know what he was going to do. He was going to make a move; Jo had convinced him it was the right thing to do. But, he didn't know when or how. He wanted to do it at the right time, in the right way.

He was so busy worrying he had totally forgotten he actually had classes with Cas. Now he had to sit there and look at Cas and actually italk/i to Cas without giving himself away. Oh, Jeez, he was in trouble. He walked into art and sighed in relief when he saw that Cas wasn't there yet. He sat down in his usual spot and waited, fiddling nervously with his hands. When the chair across from him slid out and a very familiar boy sat in it, he couldn't bring himself to look up.

"Hello, Dean," Cas exhaled in that deep voice of his that sent shivers up Dean's spine. Well, there was no escaping the conversation now. Dean inhaled a deep breath to relax himself. It was show time.

"Heya, Cas," he replied nonchalantly, playing his role perfectly. He smiled at Cas, perhaps a bit too widely. Cas smiled back, a playful look in his eye. "Nice shirt," Dean added, smirking at the boy across from him.

"Oh, thank you. I borrowed it from this guy. He was just incapable of keeping his clothes on," Cas shot back, keeping up easily with the banter. Dean smirked back, but was betrayed by a hint of red spreading across his cheeks. Cas grinned, obviously pleased at himself for being able to elicit such a reaction from Dean. Dean was saved from responding when the teacher entered the classroom and began to lecture them about the proper shading techniques. After the bell rang, the students began packing up their belongings and leaving the classroom.

"I shall see you in English, Dean," Cas leaned down and whispered to Dean before exiting the classroom and making his way to the library. The hairs on the back of Dean's neck stood on end as he watched Cas leave the classroom. Dean had considered eating lunch with Cas, or even inviting him to sit with Dean at lunch, but, in light of the current situation, Dean decided it was probably best to continue with the normal arrangement. Dean gathered up his own belongings and made his way to the cafeteria before taking his normal seat at the lunch table with Jo and Anna. There were some other people there, too, but Dean didn't really pay them much attention. He was, as usual, absorbed in his food. He devoured his lunch and, before he knew it, the bell rang. He was about to leave before Jo's voice stopped him.

"Hey, Dean," she called out, jogging a bit to catch up with him. "I'm having a party on Friday. Maybe you should invite Cas," she added, giving him a meaningful look. Dean smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, Jo." He could feel the excitement bubbling up inside of him as he contemplated what this meant. The party was the perfect time for him to make a move. He began planning it out as he walked to class. By the time he took his seat he had it all figured out. He would invite Cas to the party, and they would have a good time. But, he didn't want either of them to get drunk. That would ruin it. He would invite Cas to spend the night at his house after the party. When they were alone, in his room, he would make his move. It was perfect. Cas walked in and took his seat next to Dean, but neither of them had time to talk before the teacher walked in and began speaking.

"Alright, Kiddos, today's the day. Your projects are due. We'll begin presenting today, so I hope you did them. I'll begin by taking volunteers, and then, after that, I'll just call out groups to go. So, no point in wasting time, is there anyone who would like to go first?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Cas' hand shoot up, and he groaned a little as the teacher called them, but he couldn't stay upset for long as he turned to see Cas giving him an award winning smile. He stood and walked to the back of the classroom, grabbing his poster, before walking up to the front to stand with Cas. The class quieted down and Dean just stood, watching. He turned to Cas, and Cas motioned for him to go first. Of course. Dean muttered out most of what he had told Cas when they were making the posters, though much less passionately. He still thought this project was too personal.

"I think I'm like Ralph cause he does whatever it takes to get what he wants, and I think I do, too, even if those things are really bad. I think Cas is like Simon because he's really observant and smart and he tends to be the voice of reason even when others don't want to hear it," Dean spoke lamely, staring out at the audience with a blank look on his face. He then turned to Cas to cue him to begin. Cas simply smiled at him, then turned to the class.

"I believe myself to be like Jack because I believe I, like many others, would be corrupted when placed in a position of power. I believe Dean to be like Ralph because he is a natural-born leader and he remains calm and collected even in situations of extreme stress," Cas spoke loudly and confidently. The class hesitated a moment to be sure they were both done before they began clapping halfheartedly.

"Alright, boys. Well done," the teacher, Dean still hadn't taken the time to learn his name, complimented them before they sat down. The rest of the class went on with students spewing out shallow reasoning for their choices, and Dean eventually zoned out, trying to ignore the eyes he felt boring into the side of his head. He wanted to look at Cas, and flirt with looks. He really did. But he didn't want to move things too fast, or ruin them. He had it all planned out, and his plan was perfect. He refused to ruin it before he had a chance to put it into action.

The class ended and Dean turned to Cas just in time to make brief eye contact and smile before Cas left the classroom, offering a small smile in return. Dean wasn't really paying attention in metal shop, either. They had been given old junkyard cars to fix up, and Dean was so accustomed to working on cars, he didn't even have to think about what he was doing. After school, he walked out to the parking lot to find Cas and Sam leaning on the Impala, talking. He smiled at the sight. He had always liked the fact that Cas and Sam got along.

As he approached, they both turned toward him and smiled. He smiled back at them both before opening the Impala up and letting them in, laughing as Sam claimed the front seat, as always. Dean drove out of the parking lot and toward home, dropping Sam off at home before making his way toward Cas' house. When they pulled up outside of his house, Dean stopped Cas before he could get out of the car.

"Hey," he said, putting his hand on Cas' shoulder to stop him from leaving. "Jo is having a party on Friday. You should go," he looked up at Cas then and met his eyes, smiling.

Cas looked back and smiled, the playfulness making an appearance again. "Will you be there?" he asked.

"Of course," Dean replied.

Cas' smile widened microscopically. "Okay. I'll go."

Dean's smile widened. "Awesome, Man. And, hey, I was thinking you could spend the night at my house after the party, if you're cool with that," Dean tried to hide his nerves as he said it.

Cas' smile visibly widened this time. "Of course, Dean. That sounds like a good plan. I am agreeable."

"Cool, man. So, uh, see you tomorrow?" Dean asked, trying his hardest to keep the hope out of his voice.

"See you tomorrow, Dean," Cas replied before grabbing his bag and exiting the car.


	9. Chapter Nine

iThe party is tonight the party is tonight the party is tonight./i Dean lay in his bed, waiting for the alarm to go off. It was Friday, the day of the party, and Dean was, to put it mildly, freaking out.

How the hell was this going to work? What was he going to do? What was the perfect way to let Cas know how he felt? What if Cas rejected him? What if he made a fool of himself? What if, what if, what if?

Dean's alarm finally went off and he slammed the button down before climbing out of bed and beginning to dress. He had flirted shamelessly with Cas over the last week, and Cas' responses made it pretty obvious that he reciprocated. But, still. Dean couldn't help but worry. What if it was all a show? What if Cas didn't mean it at all?

He ate breakfast quickly, not speaking a word to Sam, before they both left the house and climbed into the Impala. Now only did Dean have to worry about making his move and the party tonight, but he had to interact with Cas at school and pretend everything was okay.

"Hey, I talked to Gabriel, you know," Sam broke Dean out of his reverie as they drove toward the school.

"What? Why?" Dean was surprised. When the hell had that happened?

"Uh, a couple days ago. He's in the same grade as me, Dean, duh," Sam replied. Dean shook his head; he should have recognized that before.

"Oh yeah? Well why are you telling me?" Dean questioned.

"Gabe thinks you and Cas make a cute couple," Sam replied nonchalantly. Dean nearly swerved off the road before staring at Sam incredulously.

"We're not a couple, Sam," Dean replied, forcing his eyes back to the road.

"Well, you could've fooled me," Sam replied. Dean simply tightened his grip on the steering wheel and didn't reply, so Sam continued. "Why aren't you?"

"Why aren't we what?" Dean asked, wishing this conversation would just end.

"You and Cas, why aren't you a couple?"

"Sammy," Dean began, but Sam interrupted him.

"Look, Dean, I'm not stupid. I know you like him, it's pretty difficult not to notice all the flirting you two do, not to mention the ridiculous amount of staring. And, you know what? It's okay. I iwant/i you to be with him. Because I know he would make you happy. So, just explain to me why you haven't made a move when you usually close the deal in a matter of hours," Sam finished with a smug grin as Dean just stared at him dumbfounded. They were parked in front of the school now.

It took a few minutes before Dean gained enough composure to speak. "I just haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Well, hurry up! It's excruciating to deal with all the sexual tension that flows between you two," Sam sent a huge grin Dean's way and Dean's jaw dropped.

"I'm going to!" he yelled back, annoyed at his brother. "Tonight," he added more quietly, unable to look at Sam.

"Jo's party?" Sam questioned, excitement leaking into his voice. Dean nodded.

"Don't say anything, though, okay? Especially not to Gabriel!" Dean hissed as Sam climbed out of the car. Sam leaned over to look back at Dean, acting like he was locking his lips shut and throwing away the key, before he walked into the school. A small smile formed on Dean's lips before he grabbed his own bag and made his way into the school.

The day passed rather uneventfully. Dean made small talk with Cas, and though he was sure the other boy had noticed his nerves, he had been kind enough not to mention it. Jo kept dropping way too obvious hints that annoyed Dean to hell and back, and Sammy made excited little squeals whenever they passed each other in the hallway, but that was about the extent of the excitement.

Cas hitched a ride with Anna after school, telling Dean that she would drive him to the party so he needn't worry about picking Cas up. Dean and Sam drove home, Sam asking him questions about Cas the whole time. Dean ignored him, of course, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

When they got home, Dean deposited him backpack in his room before making his way to the bathroom to shower. He spent more time than necessary just letting the water run down his back, relaxing him, before he actually set about washing himself. When he emerged, he wrapped a towel around himself and walked to his room, opening his closet and looking through all his clothes, trying to find the perfect outfit. He sighed when he realized how pathetic and girly he was being, but, regardless, he picked out a nice plaid button up and a clean pair of jeans. He sprayed himself with cologne and looked at the clock. There was still an hour before the party was supposed to start, but he had nothing else to do, so he climbed into the Impala and began driving, telling himself he would just help Jo. When he arrived, Jo gave him a knowing look but said nothing as they began setting up for the party.

Time had passed by quickly, and the party was officially in full swing. Dean sat alone the sidelines, a beer clutched in his hand. He had made sure not to drink any of the harder stuff, hell, he was only on his second beer. If he was going to make his move tonight, he didn't want it to be drunk and sloppy. He wanted to do it right.

He watched Jo play the role of host perfect, circulating around the house, talking to everyone individually. Dean still hadn't seen Cas, and it was starting to bother him a little. What if he had decided not to show? What if he was getting totally drunk? What if he was flirting with someone else right now? Jealousy twisted in the pit of Dean's stomach, sending fire through his gut and leaving a vile taste in the back of his throat. Dean swallowed the last gulp of his beer, tossing the empty can into a nearby bin, and set out to find Cas. It wasn't long before he saw the flaming red of Anna's hair. He approached her, only to be disappointed to find that Cas was not with her. Well, she at least had to know where he was, right? He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to face him, a beer in her hand.

"Uh, hey, Anna. Have you seen Cas?" Dean asked cautiously.

"Dean!" Anna yelled, flinging her arms around his neck in a too friendly hug. Dean could smell the alcohol on her breath. She was completely smashed.

"Hey, Anna," Dean repeated, prying her arms from around his neck in the gentlest way possible. "I was just wondering if you knew where Cas was?"

"Cas?" she questioned, and then she smiled. "Oh, Dean, you and Cas are so close. My brother usually doesn't get close to anyone, and you have been so good to him and I'm so surprised because you really didn't seem like the type of guy who would be nice to someone like my brother. You just kinda seemed like a whorish meathead. And I'm so surprised and thankful that someone is finally being nice to Castiel because he deserves it and he's such a good kid and I can't begin to show how thankful I am, but I hope this is a good place to start," Anna finished her drunken, slurred speech, only to throw her arms back around Dean's neck and press her lips to his in a sloppy kiss. Dean stumbled back, trying to get away, but she held her grip firm around his neck. Dean heard a loud gasp to his left, causing him to turn his head quickly and Anna's lips to fall from his as she stumbled back. Standing there, his mouth hung open, an unopened beer in his hand, was Cas. Dean looked down at Anna, then back at Cas, finally grasping the situation. Dean could see the tears well up in Cas' eyes and his heart sunk. No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to be with Cas. Cas wasn't supposed to be crying, no, no, no! What had he done?

Cas dropped the beer and brought his hand up to his mouth, the tears finally breaking free of their ocular confines and running down his cheeks. He turned on his heel and ran out of the house as quickly as possible. Before Dean could even registered what he was doing, he was running after Cas. He could see Cas ahead of him, but, damn, could that kid run fast. He pushed himself as fast as he could go until he was almost close enough to touch him, before yelling out his name.

"Cas!" he yelled, hoping with all his might that this would work. The other boy stopped and turned around, causing Dean to stumble to keep from running into him.

"What do you want, Dean?" he spoke with venom in his voice.

"Look, man, she kissed me, I didn't kiss her," Dean tried to defend himself but was cut off by Cas scoffing.

"Oh, please. The bad boy with the reputation didn't initiate the sexual contact? Like that's a story I'm going to believe. I may be foolish, but I'm not that stupid," the tears were now being replaced with a burning rage. Dean tried to stifle the panic building up in his stomach and filling his chest.

"No, seriously, Cas, you have to believe me," Dean began, trying to find the right words to phrase what he wanted to say. He had to make Cas believe him, show Cas that he wanted to be with him, and not Anna.

"Why should I believe you, Dean?"

"Because I've never lied to you?" Dean supplied, trying to fight down the hurt that that statement had cause him. He wanted, he needed Cas to trust him, to believe him.

"Oh, really? Then what the hell has been going on the last week, cause it was obviously a lie." Cas spat, looking Dean in the eye.

"No, Cas," Dean bit his lip, trying to force the words out while holding Cas' intense gaze. "That was-that was all real. I meant all of it," Dean took a step toward Cas and, to his surprise, Cas didn't move away. Cas' anger seemed to falter a bit, looking into Dean's eyes, and Dean knew he was displaying every ounce of sincerity he has. Cas had to believe him, he just had to. Cas looked conflicted for a moment before his face hardened and he scoffed again.

"Yeah, right, like that would really happen to me. I was foolish to believe it was possible in the first place," Cas began to turn away, but Dean grabbed his arm.

"No, Cas," he turned Cas back around, pulling him closer, "it was true, I swear it. I promise," Dean looked down, showing every emotion he had on his face. It felt strange, putting everything on display like this, but he knew this was the only way he was going to make Cas believe him. Cas looked up at him, conflicted again, before a smirk emerged on his face.

"Prove it," he whispered, his breath hot on Dean's chin. Dean's breath hitched and he looked at Cas, uncertain. But there was that smirk, taunting him, and, before Dean could lose his nerve he leaned down and crashed their lips together. Cas squeaked a bit when their lips connected, surprise overtaking his face, as if he hadn't believed Dean would do it. Dean smirked into Cas' lips, taunting him by bringing his hand up, tangling it in Cas' hair. Cas finally sighed and relaxed into the kiss, bringing his hand up to cup Dean's cheek. The two boys pulled away after a moment, both breathing heavily despite the chasteness of the kiss.

"That proof enough?" Dean asked, smirking at Cas. Cas bit his lip and nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "So," Dean continued, "you still gonna stay at my house tonight?"

Cas looked up at him and smiled, nodding. Dean smiled back, grabbing Cas' hand and walking them back toward where he had parked the Impala. He could feel the stress in his stomach untwisting, only to be replaced with happiness and excitement. Cas' hand was smoother than Dean would have imagined, and he stroked small circles on it with his thumb as they drove toward his house.

When they arrived, Dean walked around to Cas' side of the car and grabbed his hand again, leading him into the house. They passed Sammy, who was watching television on the couch. Sam shot Dean a knowing smile and Dean just smiled back, glad to have Sam as his brother. They walked upstairs to Dean's bedroom and Dean smiled at Cas before removing his pants and climbing into bed, motioning for Cas to join him. Cas smiled at Dean and removed his own pants before crawling into the bed next to Dean. The two boys faced each other and Dean threw his arm over Cas' waist pulling him in close. Cas nuzzled his face into Dean's chest and the two boys fell into a content silence before they both drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter Ten

Dean awoke with something hot pressed against his chest, but this time he didn't try to pull away. He looked down to see a head of dark hair, all mussed from sleep. Cas still slept, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath he took. Dean smiled as he took in the sight, leaning down to place a soft kiss on the other boy's forehead. Cas' eyes scrunched up and blinked open, a look of confusion on his face before he looked up to see Dean staring down at him.

"Morning, Sleepyhead," Dean smiled.

"Morning," Cas replied, yawning loudly. Dean laughed, leaning down to place another kiss on the top of Castiel's head, before rolling over and climbing out of bed. "What time is is?" Cas asked.

Dean looked at the clock on his nightstand. "9:42," he answered before walking over to his closet and pulling out some clean clothes. Cas sat up in bed and smiled at Dean as he began to get dressed.

"Uh," Dean continued nervously as the other boy watched him. "You can borrow some clothes, if you'd like." Cas nodded at Dean, still smiling, before walking over to Dean's closet and pulling out one of his plain grey shirts, pairing it with the pair of pants he had been wearing the previous night. The two boys stared at each other for few moments, small smiles on their faces. Suddenly, Cas lunged forward and threw his arms around Dean's neck, pulling him into a tight hug. After a moment of surprise, Dean hugged back, pulling Cas into his chest and resting his chin on top of the other boy's head. All the awkward nervousness dissipated as the two boys held each other.

"Thank you," Cas whispered to Dean, and Dean just squeezed him a bit tighter before releasing him, grabbing his hand, and walking him downstairs. Dean released Cas' hand as they entered the kitchen, walking over to the cabinet and beginning to pull out some pans and food for breakfast. Cas sat down at the table and watched Dean, a content smile on his face. Dean began to scramble eggs and fry some bacon, whistling happily as he did it. The smell of food must have woken Sam, because a few minutes later he stumbled down the stairs, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He sat down at the kitchen table and looked at Dean expectantly. Dean chuckled to himself, grabbing three plates and filling them with food. He placed two of them in front of Cas and Sam before joining them at the table and beginning to eat his own food.

Dean listened as Sam and Cas talking about some book he had never heard of, eating his food the whole time. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched the scene, though. This had been one of his biggest worries when it came to being with Cas. He had been worried about how the situation would affect Sam, and seeing the two of them, two of the people who meant the most to him, carrying on a casual conversation, getting along completely well, it was refreshing. The way Sam and Cas got along warmed Dean's heart, and he couldn't help but smile at it.

After breakfast, Cas insisted on doing dishes. He washed them peacefully as Dean watched, smiling to himself the whole time. When all the dishes, pans included, were sitting in the dish drainer, Cas and Dean walked into the living room. Cas sat down on the couch while Dean rummaged through their DVD collection, finally deciding that they were going to have a Back to the Future marathon. After putting the movie into the player, Dean settled onto the couch with Cas and pressed the play button on the remote. As soon as the movie began playing, there was a loud thundering down the stairs as Sam ran down them.

"Back to the Future?" he asked as he burst into the living room.

"Yeah," Dean laughed. "We're marathoning it. Wanna join?"

Sam's face lit up as he nodded his head up and down. He jumped over the coffee table and plopped into the chair, allowing Cas and Dean to have the couch to themselves. About halfway through the first movie, Dean got up and made popcorn, placing it on the coffee table for the three of them to share. Dean and Sam soon got into popcorn fight, throwing kernels back and forth. They wasted so much popcorn that Dean was forced to get up and make another bag.

The three boys watched the movies all day, laughing at the funny parts, making up their own lines when the originals weren't funny enough. By the time they were done, the sun was beginning to set. Cas sighed and looked up at Dean as the credits rolled on the television screen.

"I should probably go home. Anna and Gabriel will be worried." Dean nodded, knowing Cas was right, but still feeling disappointed that he had to say goodbye. Dean ran upstairs and grabbed his keys, told Sam he was going to run Cas home and he would be back soon, grabbed Cas' hand, and led them out to the Impala.

The drive home was quiet. Dean drove slowly, trying to extend the time he had with Cas. The boys' hands were clasped together tightly, and Dean knew this was just as hard for Cas as it was for him by the way the other boy gripped his hand. When they finally pulled up outside of Cas' house, both boys turned to look at each other, sad smiles on their faces.

"I'll see you later, right? And I'll text you," Cas asked awkwardly, fidgeting with the hem of his borrowed shirt.

"Of course," Dean smiled, nodding. Cas nodded in agreement, but still refused to look at Dean. Dean placed his hand underneath Cas' chin, forcing him to look up, before slowly leaning forward and pressing his lips softly to Cas'. The kiss was quick, but heartfelt. Dean pulled his lips away, but leaned his forehead against Cas', looking into his eyes.

"I'll see you later, Cas," he said, rubbing his thumb along the boys jaw and smiling fondly.

Cas nodded. "Yes. I shall see you later, Dean," he agreed, leaning forward to place one more quick kiss on Dean's lips before climbing out of the car and walking into his house.

When Dean got home, he found Sam still sitting on the chair, scrolling through the channels. Dean sat down on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"I'm glad you did it, Dean," Sam spoke. Dean turned to see his brother smiling at him. "I can tell you're both happy." Sam nodded, as if that confirmed what he was saying. Dean simply nodded and smiled, wanting to avoid the gushy feelings conversation. Sam smiled back, knowing that was the best he was going to get out of his brother. The two watched television for a couple more hours before retreating upstairs to their respective bedrooms and falling into bed.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Dean was awoken by his cell phone ringing loudly. He groaned, reaching over to his nightstand, feeling around blindly until his hand touched the smooth surface of his phone. He grabbed it answered it without looking at the screen, lazily placing the speaker against his ear.

"Hello?" he questioned sleepily.

"Dean!" Cas' voice burst through the other line. He sounded breathless; Dean could hear him panting along the line.

"Cas?" Dean sat up, suddenly alert. Something wasn't right. Cas' voice was filled with desperation and exhaustion. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Dean," Cas repeated, a broken sob escaping his lips as he spoke the other boy's name as if Dean was his last hope. "Dean, I need you."

Dean was up and out of bed, pulling his jeans on as quickly as he could, trying to slip a shirt over his head without removing the receiver from his ear for too long. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm almost to your house." That explained the panting, seeing as Cas had no car, and, therefore, had run all the way from his house to Dean's. "Come downstairs and open the door for me," he finished, obviously trying to keep his voice steady. Dean threw his bedroom door open and bounded down the stairs, wrenching the front door open just in time to see Cas turn into his driveway and run up to the door, throwing himself into Dean's arms. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas, holding the other boy as tight as he could. He wordlessly led the other boy up the stairs and into his bedroom, closing the door behind them. He sat Cas down gently on the bed and placed his arms comfortingly around him again. The other boy was still crying a bit, and Dean held him until he was calm enough to speak.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked again after the other boy's sobs had subsided.

"My parents," Cas spoke in a shaky voice. "They," he took a deep breath to calm himself. "They were home, when you dropped me off. They-they saw me, saw us, in the car. They saw us kiss." Dean felt his stomach drop. He didn't know anything, really, about Cas' parents, except that they didn't know about his orientation and that they wouldn't like it if they found out. And now, because of Dean, they had. He set his jaw in a firm line to keep himself from interrupting and let Cas continue.

"When I walked into the house, they confronted me, told me they had seen us kissing. At first I tried to play it off and act like I didn't know what they were referring to, but they didn't believe me. They told me they knew what I had been doing and that I was only making it harder on myself by lying about it," Cas swallowed and set his jaw and Dean could tell he was trying to hide his anger.

"They told me that I was to stop seeing you immediately. I informed them that I would do nothing of the sort. My mother, she-she slapped me, told me I was a disgrace to the family. My father told me I was an abomination, and that I would burn in hell if I didn't repent for my sins. I told them that I didn't believe I had committed any sins, and that, perhaps they should be the ones to visit confession, for they were the worst sinners and the biggest hypocrites I had ever seen," a bitter laugh escaped his throat and there was a wild glint in his eye. "That pushed my father over the edge. He attacked me, shoving me into the wall." Dean's hands clenched into fists, and he tightened his grip on Cas a bit, trying, somehow, to protect him from what had already occurred. Cas noticed.

"Don't worry," he continued. "That's when Gabriel stepped in. Gabriel pulled my father away from me and stood between us. The kid's stronger than I give him credit for," Cas smiled fondly at this. "Gabriel told my parents that I had done nothing wrong, and that they were not to lay another hand on me. My parents were, to put it lightly, very surprised at Gabriel's reaction. They told him to stand down, that he had done nothing wrong, and that he should cease all interaction with 'the sinner.' Gabriel told them that the only sinners he could see were right in front of him. As a last resort, they looked to Anna for support. She wordlessly placed herself with Gabriel, between my parents and myself. My parents were stunned, to say the least," he chuckled. "They looked past Gabriel and Anna, to me. They told me to leave their home, that I was no longer welcome. So, I did." He looked up at Dean, now. "I'm sorry if I have intruded or disturbed you, I didn't know where else to go."

"No, Cas," Dean immediately corrected. "Don't ever apologize for that." He lifted the other boy's chin to force him to look Dean in the eye. "You're always welcome here, with me, no matter what. Don't ever be sorry for that." The other boy gave Dean a weak smile full of pure gratitude, and Dean returned the smile. Something flickered in Cas' eyes, and he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth. Dean couldn't help that his vision was immediately drawn there, and he watched as the other boy's teeth teased at his lip before releasing it.

Dean quickly snapped his eyes up to Cas' and he could see the upset look from before had been replaced by a predatory stare. Before Dean could register what was happening, Cas had crawled into his lap and was now straddling him, legs bent on either side of Dean. Cas grabbed the back of Dean's hand and crashed their lips together, kissing Dean hungrily, desperately. Dean blinked, momentarily confused, before catching up to Cas, placing his hands on the boy's back and kissing back just as passionately. Cas licked at Dean's bottom lip, and Dean acquiesced, opening his mouth to allow the other boy entrance. Castiel licked into Dean's mouth, tangling their tongues together, and Dean couldn't stop the moan that escaped his throat. Cas smiled into the kiss at the noise he had elicited from Dean.

Dean knew he had an erection, and he knew Castiel could feel it pressed into his leg because he could feel Castiel's equally hard erection pressed into his. He knew he should be ashamed or embarrassed, but, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to be. It all felt right, nothing to be embarrassed of, so Dean just went with it.

Dean grabbed Castiel's hips and shifted him on his lap so that their erections were pressed into each other and rolled his hips, rubbing their cocks together through their jeans. Castiel moaned into Dean's mouth, biting down on Dean's lip. Dean reached down and hooking his fingers under Castiel's shirt, sliding it up and over his head eagerly, immediately reconnecting their lips once the offending piece of clothing was removed. Dean then moved his mouth to kiss along Cas' jaw, the rough stubble rubbing against Dean's cheek as he did.

Dean knew he shouldn't enjoy this. This is not what he was used to; this is not what he was supposed to like. Dean was supposed to like women. He was used to women. He was used to soft skin and smooth curves and supple breasts. He was used to clear faces and thick lips and smooth hands. That was what Dean was supposed to like, what he was expected to like. This was the complete opposite. Castiel was not a woman. He had two day old stubble gracing his cheeks, more than any teenager should be allowed to have. His stomach was firm and toned, and he had no curves for Dean to run his hands along, no breasts for him to fondle. But looking at Castiel, his firm muscles moving under pale skin, his darkened cheeks and his swollen, slightly chapped lips, Dean knew this was where he was supposed to be. One look into those lust blown blue eyes and he was gone, past the point of no return. Castiel was not what Dean was expected to enjoy, but to hell with expectations. Here, with Cas on his lap, slowly grinding their hips together, their tongues tangled in an intricate dance, well, Dean had never been more turned on in his life.

Dean moved his lips along Cas' jaw and down to his neck, biting and licking along the way. He sucked a mark into the soft spot where Castiel's neck met his shoulder, claiming his territory. Dean's fear and anxiety had been abated; he no longer feared people knowing he was with Cas. Hell, he welcomed it, he icraved/i it. He wanted the whole damn world to know that Castiel Novak belonged to him.

He kissed all over Cas' neck, leaving marks wherever his mouth could reach. He could hear Cas panting into his ear, the soft, almost inaudible moans that escaped his mouth as Dean kissed him. It only encouraged Dean more, and he began to get more rough with his bites. Cas' hands were tangled in his hair, his head tipped back to give Dean better access. Finally, a huff of frustration escaped Cas' mouth, and he grabbed the bottom of Dean's shirt and ripped it over his head, throwing it arbitrarily to the side. He placed his hands on Dean's chest and pushed him back roughly. Dean fell onto his bed, and Cas urged him to scoot up so that his head was resting on the pillows.

Cas then straddled Dean again, kissing him passionately before moving down his jaw to his neck, moving painfully slowly. Finally he reached Dean's chest and teased at his nipples, licking and sucking until Dean's back arched off the bed and he involuntarily moaned Cas' name. Cas smirked up at Dean, then, and leaned down to Dean's chest again, this time sucking a mark of his own. Dean was pleasantly surprised by how this territorial side of Cas turned him on, and he could feel his dick beginning to ache in his jeans.

Castiel, seeming to have read his mind, moved down to kiss at Dean's hips, his fingers fumbling with Dean's pants, unbuttoning them and pulling them down so Dean was clad only in boxers.

In a moment of clarity, Dean sat up suddenly, looking down at Cas with an anxious expression on his face. "Cas, you don't have to do this, it's okay if-" but Dean was cut off by Castiel kissing him, smirking into the kiss.

"Shhh," he whispered into Dean's ear after pulling out of the kiss. "Just enjoy." He placed his hand back on Dean's chest and gently urged him to lay back down. Dean did so, and Castiel kissed his way back down Dean's body, kissing along the entire line of his waistband before hooking his fingers into them and pulling them down. Dean lifted his hips to help Cas remove them, and then tensed up as his completely naked body was revealed to the boy in front of him. Castiel leaned back down to kiss up Dean's thighs.

"Relax," he whispered into Dean's skin, and Dean took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had had plenty of blowjobs before, but this was different. Cas wasn't just some meaningless one night stand, he was somebody Dean actually liked, actually wanted to be with. But Cas seemed so confident, so calm and collected, that Dean forced himself to calm down, as well. If Castiel wasn't anxious about what was occurring, then neither was Dean.

Castiel kissed up Dean's thighs, so very slow, and Dean could feel his cock throbbing almost painfully. When Cas finally reached his goal, he kissed the head of Dean's cock before licking the slit, tasting the precum leaking from it. Dean tangled his hands into the sheets as a deep moan escaped his throat. He did his best to keep from thrusting up into Cas' mouth as he lowered his lips around Dean's length. He began moving, licking and sucking skillfully, and Dean knew this wasn't the first time Cas had done this. Funny, he thought to himself. Innocent, nerdy little Cas gave porn star quality blowjobs. Dean forced himself to ignore the jealousy that erupted at the thought of Cas doing this with somebody else, and focused instead on the fact that Cas was doing it with him now. Cas was his, and Dean was going to keep it that way.

Cas brought his hand up to grip the part of Dean's cock that he couldn't fit into his mouth and he began rubbing and massaging in speed with his sucking. Dean scrunched his eyes shut, hands gripping the sheets, toes curling. He bit his lip to keep himself quiet, aware that his little brother was asleep in the next room, and this would be awkward to explain in the morning.

Dean ventured a look down at Cas and the view only pushed him closer to the edge. He noticed Cas' other hand, the one he wasn't using to stroke Dean, was lowered, thrust into his own pants, gripping himself while he sucked off Dean. While the idea of Cas touching himself to Dean was a major turn on, Dean didn't want Cas to cum that way. He reached down and gripped Cas' hand and yanked it out of his pants, instead twining their fingers together. Cas stopped momentarily to look up at Dean in confusion, but Dean simply winked at him and motioned for him to continue. God, Dean needed him to continue. He was so close, his heart racing, his breath coming out in pants now as Cas' mouth slid up and down his cock. He took his hand, the one not holding on to Cas' as if it was the only thing anchoring him to life, and twined it in Cas' hair, unable to resist thrusting up into Cas' mouth now. He was close, so close, and the way Cas' tongue swirled around his dick was driving him insane.

"Cas," he moaned now, unable to stop himself as he accelerated closer and closer to the edge at alarming speeds. "Oh, God, Cas!" he finally exclaimed as he came, tightening his grip in Cas' hair and thrusting upward into Cas' mouth as Cas continued to suck softly, helping Dean ride out his orgasm. He finally collapsed onto the bed, opening his eyes to look at Cas as he finally sat up. Dean watched as Cas swallowed his load, licking his lips to get every drop, and, oh, God, if that wasn't the most beautiful thing Dean had ever seen, he didn't know what was. Cas crawled up and placed a quick kiss on Dean's lips and Dean didn't even care that he could taste himself because that was, by far, the best blowjob he had ever had, and this was Cas he was kissing, not some random girl he picked up at a party. Cas smiled at Dean, obviously pleased with himself, and began to make himself comfortable on the bed beside Dean, but Dean would have none of that. He quickly rolled over, placing himself on top of Cas and kissing down his body, stopping at his jeans so that he could unbutton and unzip them.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Cas questioned, looking as Dean quizzically.

"Uh, returning the favor?" Dean answered, unable to hide his nervousness and uncertainty. He had never been with a guy before; he had never done this before. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. But, he had received plenty of blowjobs before, so he could just take cues from those, right?

"Dean, it's fine, you don't have to do that," Cas tried to protest.

"No, Cas, I-I want to," Dean could feel his cheeks heat up but he forced himself to look up at Cas. Cas was smiling down at him with such unhindered affection that Dean was suddenly breathless. Cas nodded once, giving his consent, and Dean finished sliding his pants down, pulling his boxers down at the same time, and throwing them off of the bed. He looked at Cas' cock, and it was clear that sucking Dean off had excited him. Dean could feel the nervousness pool in the bottom of his stomach, making him feel slightly nauseous, but he thought back on all of his blowjobs and simply followed what had been done to him. He kissed up Cas' thighs slowly, biting and sucking here, too, determined to leave his mark all over Cas. When he reached Cas' cock, he used one hand to grip it before slowly sliding it into his mouth.

It was uncomfortable, to say the least, and he almost gagged as he slid Cas' dick a bit too far into his mouth, but the moan that burst forth past Cas' lips was completely worth it. It only encouraged Dean, and he began to work Cas' cock into his mouth, moving slowly at first, but eventually gaining speed and setting a fairly quick rhythm. He followed Cas' example and used his hand to rub the part of Cas' cock that he couldn't fit into his mouth. He felt awkward, and knew he wasn't giving the best blowjob in the world, but, hell, it was his first time, and he didn't think he was doing that bad.

"Dean, oh, fuck, Dean," Cas moaned loudly, and the fact that Dean had pushed Cas far enough into bliss that he was using profanity only encouraged him to continue. Cas' hands found their way to Dean's hair, and he massaged Dean's scalp with his fingers soothingly. Dean took this as encouragement and tightened the grip of his mouth around Cas' cock, sucking tightly, and Cas let out a sharp gasp before moaning Dean's name loudly again, his hands tangling themselves in the sheets to prevent himself from thrusting into Dean's mouth.

The sight of Cas falling apart beneath him, muttering Dean's name along with various profanities and breathy little gasps and moans, was the best thing Dean had ever seen, and it was enough for him to want to give Cas a blowjob three times a day, no matter how bad he was at them, as long as he got to see Cas fall apart like this, lost in the sensation of Dean's mouth. It wasn't long before Cas was cumming, his voice breaking as he moaned Dean's name and filled his mouth. Dean almost gagged as Cas' load filled his mouth, but he stopped himself, forcing himself to continue to suck a bit and help Castiel ride out his orgasm. Dean followed Cas' lead and swallowed, partly to please Cas, but also because he wanted to get the bitter fluid out of his mouth. He didn't know how Cas did it, seemed to enjoy it so much, but as he looked up and saw Cas panting, his chest rising and falling quickly, his head thrown back into Dean's pillow and his cheeks flushed red, his lips swollen from him biting them to keep himself quiet, Dean knew this was something he could get used to.

He crawled up his bed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and placing a soft kiss on the tip of Cas' nose. Cas finally opened his eyes and looked at Dean. He was still panting, but a smile spread across his face as he stared at the other boy. Dean felt the nervousness and self-doubt reemerge, coiling in the pit of his stomach. He looked down and bit his lip nervously.

"I, uh, I know that wasn't the best," he explained, refusing to look at Cas. "But, um, was it good enough? It was my first time doing it and everything, so, I'm sorry if it sucked," Dean mumbled. There was a moment of silence before Cas burst out laughing. Dean jumped, startled, and looked at the other boy as if there was something very wrong with him.

"Dean!" he exclaimed, trying to quiet his laughter. "You pushed me to the point of profanity; I literally had to force myself not to scream your name at the top of my lungs." Dean blushed at this, looking down again. Cas reached his hand out and placed his hand under Dean's chin, lifting his face until their eyes met. "It was spectacular, Dean," he confirmed, leaning in to place a soft kiss on Dean's lips. Dean smiled, then, and laid back down onto his own bed. Cas leaned into Dean, nuzzling his face into Dean's neck, throwing his arm over Dean's waist and tangling their legs together. Dean smiled to himself, running his nose along the top of the other boy's head, inhaling his scent. Cas smelled thoroughly of sex, and Dean couldn't quell the pride that bloomed in his chest at the fact that it was all because of him. Just another way Dean was marking his territory.

Dean grabbed the blankets and wrapped them around himself and Cas, wrapping his arm around Cas and pulling him in until their bodies were pressed against each other, Cas' head resting comfortably on Dean's chest. Dean felt his eyes begin to droop and couldn't hide the yawn that escaped his mouth.

"Good night, Dean," Cas whispered into Dean's ear, kissing his neck before placing his head back on Dean's chest.

"Night, Cas," Dean agreed, letting the heat the other boy was radiating onto him lull him into a deep, comfortable sleep.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Dean awoke, again, with Cas pressed against him. Looking down at the other boy, breathing evenly and sleeping peacefully, Dean decided this was something he could get used to. He lifted the other boy's head off his chest and tried to softly lay it on the pillow while detangling their limbs, trying not to rouse him, and crawled out of bed, throwing on some clothes before trudging to the bathroom.

Dean looked at himself in the mirror and freezes. He saw his reflection staring back at him, only he didn't look like he normally did. His cheeks were flushed, he had a smile on his face, his hair was askew and his eyes were actually bright. Dean Winchester was actually ihappy./i

Dean's smile faltered as he thought about the other boy in his room. Cas made him happy, but was that okay? Was it okay for Dean to allow this boy to make him happy? What if Cas left him, what then? Does Dean even deserve to be happy? After all the shit he's done, does he deserve this?

No. He didn't, and he couldn't deny to himself that he knew that was better than he deserved. But he was selfish, dammit, and it was too good for him to give up. He knew Cas was too good for him, that it was all too much for him, but at that moment, he didn't really care. He iliked/i being with Cas like this, and he wasn't going to give it up. If Cas left him, then, fine, he'd accept that when the time came, but he wasn't going to let Cas go, he wasn't going to be the one to pull away. It was too damn good, and he had been feeling bad for too damn long to run away from the one really good thing to happen to him.

He walked back to his room and the smile immediately returned to his face when he saw Cas had woken up. He was sitting in Dean's bed, still naked, the blanket draped around him. His hair was messier than Dean had ever seen it, both from sleep and from Dean's hands the previous night. His neck was covered in red marks, and Dean smiled to himself as he looked at them. Cas turned to look at Dean when he walked in and smiled, the sunlight streaming in from the window behind him, lighting up his face.

"Good morning, Dean," he greeted as he stood, pulling a sheet with him to keep wrapped around himself, and walked over to Dean, leaning up to place a soft kiss on Dean's lips.

"Morning, Cas," Dean replied after Cas pulled away. "You know, there's no need for the sheet," he continued, a smirk on his face. "I saw it all last night, there's nothing to hide."

Cas' face lit up a bright shade of red, and he bit his lip nervously. "I-I know," he stuttered, looking at the floor. "I just thought, you know, a bit of decency might be appreciated."

Dean chuckled. "Whatever you say, Cas, but if you're doing this for my sake, don't. I'm not complaining about you being naked."

Cas looked up at Dean then, his face still red, and a smirk slowly appeared on his face as he released the sheet, letting it drop to the floor. He looked up at Dean with the same mischievous glint in his eye, and Dean returned it this time, leaning in to place a long kiss on Cas' lips. When they pulled away, Dean laughed again.

"You can borrow some clothes," he said, motioning to the dresser, and Cas nodded, walking over and pulling out a pair of boxers to borrow, then moving over to the closet and pulling out a black t shirt. Dean watched him as he dressed, completely unashamed, and Cas laughed when he looked up and caught Dean staring.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked, staring Dean down, pulling up the jeans he had been wearing the previous day.

"Yes, I am," Dean replied, the smile never leaving his face. Cas walked over to him and shoved his arm playfully before walking out of the room, leaving Dean to follow after him. When they entered the kitchen, Dean set about the normal routine of scouring the cabinets for food, but Cas walked up behind him and grabbed him around his waist, pulling him away and forcing him to sit in a chair at the kitchen table, and Dean noted how Cas was much stronger than he appeared to be.

"No," he explained after Dean had been seated. "It's my turn to cook." He smiled at Dean before turning to the fridge and beginning to pull food out. Dean opened his mouth to protest before realizing that doing so would be useless. Instead, he leaned back and watched Cas work, maneuvering the kitchen like a professional, and Dean wouldn't admit that he was impressed by it.

"Hey Cas?" Dean questioned, belatedly noticing Cas' change from his usual attire. "Since when do you wear jeans? I didn't even know you owned jeans."

Cas' face turned a brighter red than Dean had ever seen. "I own a few pair of jeans," he mumbled, using the cooking food in front of him as an excuse not to look at Dean. Dean pondered that for a moment before he noticed a very familiar hole over the right knee of the jeans, and everything made sense.

"Okay, but are ithose/i jeans yours, Cas?" Dean asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

Cas looked at Dean momentarily before snapping his eyes back to the cooking food. "Uh, no. I, um, I only borrowed them. I was going to return them, I swear!"

"Jeez, Cas, when the hell did you even have time to steal a pair of my jeans?" Dean laughed at the embarrassed boy in front of him.

"Borrow," Cas corrected. "I borrowed them when you spent the night at my house last week. I assumed you had many pairs and wouldn't miss one."

"Why would you want my jeans, anyway?"

"They remind me of you," Cas answered so quietly Dean could almost have sworn he didn't hear it at all. He picked up the pan he was using and slid the omelet he had been cooking onto a plate before proceeding to make another one. Dean noticed he had already cooked two and realized with a smile that Cas was cooking for Sam, as well. He stood and walked over to the other boy, wrapping his arms around Cas' stomach and placing a soft kiss to his cheek. Cas smiled, leaning into Dean, before Dean released him and trudged up the stairs, knocking on Sam's door and yelling through the wood that if he wanted breakfast he had better haul his ass downstairs.

After Cas was done cooking, he grabbed some fruit out of the drawer in the fridge and began cutting them up, placing them on the plates with the omelets. After all three plates were made, he placed them on the table and sat down next to Dean to enjoy the meal. Sam stumbled down the stairs a minute later and sat down at the table, beginning to eat immediately.

"It's a nice change to see you actually added a bit of fruit to this meal, Dean," he commented, spearing a slice of banana on the end of his fork and popping it into his mouth.

"I, uh, it wasn't me, Sammy. Cas cooked for us," Dean answered, motioning to the other boy. Sam looked up at Cas as if he hadn't noticed him before, then smirked and stabbed another piece of fruit onto his fork.

"That explains why it's so good," he laughed, and Dean playfully punched him in the arm.

"Fine, see if I make breakfast for you again, Sam," Dean quipped, looking at his brother with mock disdain.

"That's okay, cause now we have Cas to cook for us," Sam replied nonchalantly, and Dean could feel his face heating up. He turned to the other boy and could see his face was just as red.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence, Sam going back upstairs after he was done. Cas began to collect the dishes from the table, but Dean smacked his hand when he tried to retrieve his plate.

"Nope, that's not how it works. You cooked, I clean, remember?" He gave Cas a smug smile and Cas shook his head, but sat down and let Dean do the dishes anyway. After all the dishes were stacked, Dean grabbed Cas' hand and led him back upstairs to his room.

"Um," he began, looking at Cas awkwardly. "I kinda need to shower, so, I'm gonna go take one. It should only take a minute."

"That is fine, Dean. I shall be fine here until you are done," Cas replied, smiling at Dean.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. He felt bad about just leaving Cas there by himself, but he hadn't showered in two days and he really, really needed to.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry," Cas reassured. Dean nodded and left the room, grabbing a towel from the hallway closet on his way to the bathroom. He showered as quickly as he could while still being thorough and, after he got out, threw on the same clothes he had been wearing seeing as they were clean, anyway. When he walked back into the room, Cas was on the phone. He turned and silently acknowledged Dean's presence before turning back to the phone.

"It's fine, you don't need to apologize," Cas was saying into the phone. Dean walked over and sat down next to him on the bed, patiently waiting, but curious nonetheless.

"Don't worry about it," he continued after a short pause. "There's nothing you can do, and it's fine." Another pause.

"No, no, I get it, really. It's fine, Anna, there's no need to apologize. I don't blame you; this is my own doing. I'll be over there later, then." Ah, so that's who he was talking to.

"Thank you, Anna. I'll see you when I come over. Love you, too," Cas hung up the phone before turning to Dean and smiling, a sad smile on his face.

"What's going on?" Dean asked, concerned. If it had been Anna on the phone, then they were most likely talking about what had happened the previous night.

"Seems my parents are serious about kicking me out," Cas explained. "They're having Anna and Gabriel pack up all my things. I have to go pick it up." His face fell before he looked up at Dean again, almost unnoticeable traces of tears in his eyes. "What the hell am I going to do, Dean?" he asked, desperation leaking into his voice. Dean's chest tightened at seeing Cas like this and he pulled Cas into his arms, stroking his fingers through his hair soothingly.

Damn Cas' parents. What the hell had he even done? What right did they have to throw their son out like that, for no good reason? He ground his teeth at the thought, trying to calm himself, before an idea popped into his head. It was perfect, really.

"You can stay here," Dean blurted out. Cas pulled away and looked at him, his eyebrows scrunched together.

"No, Dean, I can't do that to you. It wouldn't be right," Cas protested.

"Do what?" Dean interrupted. "You wouldn't be doing anything bad. It's perfect. My dad's never home, and if he does decide to make an appearance, you'll just have to hide until he leaves, sorry," Dean looked down at this, both embarrassed and ashamed. "But, other than that, it'd be great. To hell with your parents, if they don't want you there, then fine, you can stay here. Sam loves you, and you spend most of your time here anyway. It's not that big a deal. I mean, we don't have that much room, so you'd have to share a room with me, but if it makes you uncomfortable I can sleep on the couch or something, it's no big deal. Unless, you know, you don't want to stay here," Dean spoke the last bit quietly, biting his lip nervously.

Cas beamed; his smile spread across his face, lighting up his eyes. "You would really do that for me?"

"Of course," Dean smiled back, just as big. What else was he going to do? Leave Cas out on the street? It was a huge step, really, to have Cas move in, but the circumstances required it of Dean, and honestly, he wasn't that nervous. The fact that he was already so comfortable with Castiel terrified him, but he had already decided that he was going to do this right, and leaving Cas out on the streets, alone and cold, definitely wasn't the right thing to do.

"Okay then, Dean," Cas continued, the smile still on his face. "I would love to stay with you. I don't mind sharing a room, but I am terribly sorry for intruding on your space."

"Don't worry about it, Cas. I don't mind, really," Dean reassured and Cas simply bit his lip and nodded.

"Okay, then, well, I have to go get my stuff, so, um, maybe you could drop me off and then pick me up when I'm ready? I'm sorry for the inconvenience," he apologized, tilting his head to the right slightly.

"Are your parents still home?" Dean asked.

Castiel's face scrunched up in confusion. "Yes, I believe so. Why?"

"I'm going with you," Dean concluded, not asking for permission. There was no way in hell he was going to leave Cas alone with those people, not again.

"No, Dean, really, it's fine, you don't have to go," Cas began, but Dean interrupted.

"Yes, Cas. I wasn't asking. I'm going. I'm not going to let you face this alone," Dean concluded, a tone of finality in his voice. Cas nodded, smiling up at Dean and reaching out to take his hand. Dean squeezed Cas' hand before standing and grabbing his keys.

"You ready?" he asked, looking at Cas.

"Yes, I am," Cas answered. Dean began walking to the door and Cas followed behind him, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly as they walked down the stairs and out of the house.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

As soon as they pulled up to Cas' house and exited the car, Cas grabbed Dean's hand and held it tightly as they approached the door. Dean knew Cas was nervous, scared, even, and he was just thankful he was there for Cas, that Cas had somebody to stand beside him through this. He gave Cas' hand a gentle squeeze to reassure him he wasn't going anywhere before Cas knocked on the door.

It was Anna who opened the door, and Dean was thankful for that. If there was going to be a confrontation between himself and Cas' parents, he preferred it wasn't on the front porch. Anna glanced between Cas and Dean, her eyes locking on their interlinked fingers before raising back up to meet Dean's eyes. She gave him a small smile, and that was it. That smile erased the need for words, for explanation. Dean saw everything, how sorry she was for kissing him and how thankful she was that Dean was there for Cas. Dean returned the smile, nodding his head slightly to acknowledge that further discussion was no longer needed. Anna stepped to the side, letting the two boys in. They followed Anna upstairs to Cas' room. When she opened the door, Dean saw that most of Cas' belongings had already been packed. Gabe was kneeling in front of Cas' bookshelf, placing his books carefully into a box. He looked up when the two boys entered and fixed Dean with the same thankful smile he had received from Cas' other sibling before looking at Cas with a face full of sadness.

"They're really mad, Cassie," he said, motioning at the boxes that were scattered about the room.

"So I've noticed," Cas responded, looking about the room. "How mad do you think they are, though? Just an estimate," he tried to joke about it, but fixed Gabe with a look that proved he was truly curious.

"Mom stayed home from church," Anna answered for Gabe, and Cas nodded, apparently understanding the level of anger that indicated. As if on call, there was a swift knock on the door. It was opened immediately, before anybody had time to respond. In the doorway stood who Dean assumed was Cas' mom. She had light red hair pulled back into a tight bun, a fierce scowl on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes landing on the two boys with interlocked hands. Cas squeezed Dean's hand, obviously scared, and Dean squeezed back, rubbing small circles over the other boy's hand with his thumb in an attempt to calm him down.

"I assume you are the blasphemer who corrupted my son," she surprised the whole room by directly addressing Dean first. Dean put on his signature smirk. This woman thought she was tough, but Dean wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Proud to say that I am, ma'am," he replied smoothly, bringing Cas' hand up and kissing the back of it, just for emphasis. Cas stiffened at the action, but Dean immediately continued rubbing his thumb over Cas' hand to calm him, and it seemed to work, if only slightly. The woman in front of his narrowed her gaze, hatred burning in her eyes.

"You'll go to hell for this," she replied bluntly, and Dean had to stifle the chuckle that erupted from his throat.

"Honey," he replied, not even caring if he sounded condescending. "If there is a hell, I'm sure I damned myself to go there a long time ago." She seemed stunned for an almost unnoticeable moment, but the anger quickly slid back into her eyes. She looked to Cas, directing her next words at him.

"Gather your belongings and get out of my house," she spoke with disdain before turning on her heel and leaving, shutting the door behind her. As soon as she was gone Gabe stood up and walked over to Dean, a huge grin on his face.

"That was awesome!" he exclaimed. "Score for Dean-o!" He held his hand up and Dean gave him a high five with a smug grin on his face. He glanced over at Anna and noticed that, while she was trying to hide it, she was smiling, too.

Dean looked over at Cas to make sure he was okay, and Cas was looking up at Dean in awe. When their eyes met, a look of pure adoration took over and Dean squeezed Cas' hand before they let go to begin carrying boxes downstairs and loading them into the Impala. They worked quickly as Dean could tell that Cas wanted this to be over with as soon as possible. As soon as the car was loaded up, Cas gave his siblings long hugs, and Dean waved at them as he got into the car. They drove home in silence, but Cas clung to Dean's hand the entire way back to his house. When they arrived Sam came out to help, and Dean was silently impressed at his brother. Neither he nor Cas had said anything to Sam about what was happening, it had completely slipped Dean's mind. But Sam just gave him a knowing look, patted Cas on the shoulder, and began carrying boxes up to Dean's room.

When they were done, Sam left them alone, and the two boys sat on Dean's bed. Dean turned to Cas, looking at the boy who seemed to be lost within himself.

"You okay?" he asked, reaching out and taking Cas' hand in his own. Cas began to nod, but he suddenly stopped, a sob escaping his throat. He brought a hand up to his mouth to cover it, but it was no use. The tears started pouring from his eyes and he was gasping for air as the situation settled in on him. Dean reached over and wrapped his arms around Cas, pulling the other boy toward him and cradling him in his lap.

"Shh, it's okay, Cas. It's all going to be okay," Dean whispered as the other boy cried, trying to soothe him. It hurt him, more than he cared to admit, to see Cas break down like this. The light was out of his eyes, only to be replaced with fear and desperation. He was breaking, right in front of Dean's eyes, and Dean was doing all he could to fix him, but it still didn't feel like enough. Eventually, Cas' tears subsided and he looked up at Dean, his eyes worn and bloodshot. A small smile crept onto his face, despite himself, as he looked up at Dean.

"Thank you," he said, his voice raw from crying. "I, just, thank you. I really don't know where I would be if you weren't here," he said, a little bit of his usual shine making an appearance in his eyes again. iYou'd be at home, in your own bed,i Dean wanted to say, but he wasn't going to bring up his own guilt and pile that on top of Cas, too. He had enough to Deal with without Dean's issues adding onto them. So, Dean settled on nodding, leaning down to kiss the other boy's forehead fondly.

"Bath?" he asked, jerking his head toward the door. Cas nodded, and Dean stood, pulling Cas up with him and leading him toward the bathroom. When they entered the bathroom, Dean adjusted the knobs, finding the perfect temperature, before placing the plug in the drain and allowing the bath to fill. He turned around to find the other boy had been watching him. He smiled weakly at that, and Cas smiled back. Dean walked over to him and pulled on the bottom of his shirt. Cas lifted his arms over his head and Dean lifted the shirt up and off of him, throwing it on the floor. He unbuttoned Cas' pants and slid them down, leaving the boy nude, before undressing himself, as well. He climbed into the bathtub, spreading his legs and motioning for Cas to sit in front of him. The other boy did, leaning back onto Dean's chest, and Dean wrapped his arms around Cas. Cas leaned his head back to look up at Dean, and Dean smiled, leaning down to press their lips together softly.

They sat in the bath for a long while, not saying anything. Dean just held Cas, rubbing soothing circles onto his chest and nuzzling his nose into his hair. Once the water had cooled and both boys were all wrinkled from an extended stay in water, Dean pulled the plug, turning the water back on, only this time adjusting it for a shower. The two boys stood, and Dean grabbed his shampoo (Cas' still being packed away), pouring some into his hand, and massaging it into Cas' hair before doing the same for himself. Cas smiled at the gesture, leaning into Dean's touch as he rubbed the shampoo into Cas' scalp. Dean then proceeded to wash Cas' body, and Cas did the same for him. After they were done, they held each other under the spray of the water, arms wrapped tightly around each other, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. Once the hot water was almost gone, Dean turned the faucet off and stepped out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around Cas before covering himself with his own towel. The two boys walked across the hallway, Dean carrying their old clothes, and entered Dean's room.

Dean threw their old clothes into his hamper in the corner, unable to suppress a smile at the thought of Cas' clothes now being mixed in with his in the hamper. Dean walked over to his dresser and pulled out two pairs of boxers, tossing one to Cas, not feeling the need to get dressed completely.

"Wanna start unpacking?" Dean asked, motioning toward the stack of boxes in the corner, thinking it would probably be a good idea, but not wanting to push Cas. Cas smiled, though, and nodded at Dean, more himself than Dean had seen him since this morning. Dean nodded and smiled back, relieved that Cas really seemed to be okay. Dean walked over to the corner, grabbing on of the boxes and pulling it off the pile. He opened it to reveal clothes. He looked at Cas, smiled, then walked over to his dresser and began rearranging the organization of his clothes, emptying out three of the six drawers for Cas' use. He then walked over to his closet and shuffled his clothes off to the right side, leaving the left side open for Cas to hang up his overabundance of button ups. Cas watched Dean work, a content smile on his face, before beginning to unpack his clothes and put them away. They found a place for most of the rest of Cas' belongings, fitting them in seamlessly with Dean's stuff. They were almost done with all the boxes when Dean pulled a really heavy one over to the middle of the room.

"What the hell is in here that's so damn heavy?" he asked himself before opening the box to reveal a ton of books. Dean sighed, of course they were books and, judging by the size of the pile and what Dean remember of Cas' book collection, the rest of the boxes were probably books, too. He looked over at Cas to see he was trying to stifle down laughter at Dean's bewildered gaze. Dean stuck his tongue out at him before grabbing his old clothes and beginning to dress.

"Hold on, be right back," he called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room and Cas gave him a confused look. He walked over to Sam's room and knocked on the door, asking the fourteen year old for help when he answered. Sam gave him a confused look, but followed his brother downstairs anyway. When he finally came across what he was looking for, he smiled, motioning for Sammy to help him.

They carried the almost unused bookshelf up the stairs, Dean demanding to be in the back because if anybody was going to get hurt by a bookcase falling down the stairs, it wasn't going to be Sam. When they arrived, Sam kicked the door and Cas opened it, eyes going wide as he scurried out of the way for the boys to carry the shelf in. Dean chuckled at how embarrassed Cas seemed, still clad only in boxers, crossing his arms over his chest in an obvious attempt to hide his nakedness. Dean placed the bookshelf against the wall with the door, the other walls being occupied by his closet, desk, and bed.

"Thanks, Sammy," he said after they had placed it down on the floor.

"No problem, I know you're too weak to do something like that by yourself," he smirked at Dean, laughing as he left the room.

"Bitch!" Dean yelled down the hall, smiling after his brother.

"Jerk!" he heard Sam yell back before his brother's bedroom door shut, and Cas shut their door behind him. He looked at Dean, a huge grin on his face, before walking over and wrapping his arms around his neck, pulling him in for a long kiss.

"What was that for?" Dean asked after Cas had pulled away. Cas' eyes flickered over to the bookshelf, but met Dean's again almost immediately.

"Just for being you," he answered before pulling the box over to the shelf and beginning to organize his books. Dean grabbed another box which, as he had assumed, was also filled with books, and carried it over to the bookshelf, kneeling down next to Cas and helping him stack his books up. Cas smiled at him, and they worked in silence to get the rest of Cas' stuff put away.

After they were done, Dean stripped himself of clothes again, matching Cas' level of attire, both wearing only boxers again. They both crawled into bed, and Cas lifted Dean's arm, placing it over his waist and nuzzling his face into the other boy's neck, sliding in as close as he could get. Dean squeezed the other boy and wrapped his legs around Cas', kissing the top of his head and running his nose along the other boy's hair, relishing the scent of his shampoo radiating off Cas, another reminder that Cas was, in fact, his.

"Good night, beautiful," Dean whispered, already half asleep, relaxed by the warmth of the boy sharing his bed, a reminder that he actually existed and that Dean was actually the one holding him at night.

Cas chuckled at Dean's compliment. "Good night, Dean," he replied, placing a soft kiss on Dean's neck, and Dean's was suddenly reminded of the story his mother had told him when he was young about angel kisses turning into freckles on the young boy's skin.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Dean awoke tangled in Cas, again. He detangled their limbs, noting with amusement that Cas really was a heavy sleeper, and dressed himself before turning off the alarm so it wouldn't wake Cas and trudging downstairs to make breakfast for the three Cas, Sammy, and himself. He made French toast, stacking it high on a plate and setting it in the middle of the table before walking back upstairs, banging on Sam's door and yelling that food was ready. He then walked back into his bedroom and crawled into his bed, hovering above the sleeping Cas. He lowered his lips down to Cas' ear before whispering.

"Get up, Angel. It's time for breakfast." Cas' eyes blinked open suddenly and he looked confused before he noticed Dean above him. He smiled, then, and crawled out of bed, dressing himself before waling downstairs with Dean. Sam was already eating by the time they got to the kitchen. Dean grabbed two plates, handing one to Cas, before sitting down at the table and piling his plate up with toast, covering it in the syrup that Sam had left on the table.

The three ate in mostly silence, focused on devouring the food in front of them before they had to leave for school. After they were done, Dean cleaned up and Sammy went upstairs to get dressed. Cas walked downstairs with Sam, his and Dean's backpacks in his hand and Dean sent him a grateful smile. The three loaded up in the Impala, Sam refusing to listen to Dean when he told him to let Cas ride shotgun. Dean sent him a glare, but Cas smiled at him from the backseat and Dean figured if Cas was okay with it then it wasn't that big of a deal.

They arrived just as the bell rang and Sam and Cas nearly jumped out of the car, running toward the school with rushed waves over their shoulders. Dean took his time, walking at a comfortable pace, and slid into his seat right as the bell rang.

Jo looked up at Dean and gave him an expectant look; Dean knew she wanted to know what had happened after the party. He simply motioned to Anna, insinuating that she would tell Jo. It wasn't that Dean wasn't proud that he had gotten Cas; he was damn proud. But the weekend had turned bittersweet quickly and it just seemed wrong to brag about getting Cas in the light of what else had happened that weekend.

Dean didn't really pay attention through his first two classes. He took sloppy notes and did his best to look like he was paying attention while really zoning out. He walked into art, though, excited to see Cas. He knew it was foolish and stupid to look forward to seeing the other boy so much, but he didn't really care. He walked in to find Cas already sitting in his normal seat. Dean walked in, a huge grin on his face, and took the seat opposite Cas, as usual. Cas looked up when Dean sat down and mirrored Dean's smile.

Dean opened his mouth to talk to Cas, but the teacher walked in at that same moment, so Dean shut his mouth and listened to what the teacher had to say. He still wanted to interact with Cas, though, so he reached his foot out and rubbed it along Cas' leg. Cas eyes widened and he looked at Dean, his mouth open slightly and his cheeks red before he settled into a shy smile and rubbed his feet along Dean's. Dean knew it was really cheesy to be playing footsie with Cas under the table, but the look on Cas' face made it worth it.

"Okay, Class," the teacher spoke at the front of the room, and Dean turned to look but still kept his feet on Cas'. "Today, we will be drawing something a little more personal than all our other assignments. It's going to take longer and be worth more than your other assignments, as well. I want you to draw a picture of a significant moment in your life. It can be whatever you want, and it can be as simple or intricate as you'd like. Today, I simply want you to decide what you're going to draw and maybe work out a rough sketch and a list of the techniques you are going to be using. I am giving you one week to complete this assignment, so I expect you to put some effort into it. You may begin."

Dean pulled out a blank piece of paper and grabbed his pencil, thinking about possible ideas for his assignment. He pondered for a moment, before beginning to make a list or possible ideas. There was the day Sammy was born, that was pretty significant to him, especially seeing as he now damn near raised the kid on his own. There was the day his mom died, the fire would give him an opportunity to present a lot of detail. But, that might be a little too personal for him. He put it on the list anyway, but put a question mark next to it. He continued doing this for the rest of the class, not really feeling like working on anything. He almost talked to Cas, but he was looking at his paper with such concentration that Dean decided against it. When the bell was done, Dean waited for Cas and then walked out of the room with him.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile. "I wanna eat lunch with you. Is that okay?" Cas' smile faltered a bit, and Dean tried to rectify the situation. "We don't have to sit with my friends, that's fine," he said, hoping that was the problem and that it wasn't just that Cas was getting tired of Dean. "I can sit in the library with you. Is that okay?"

Cas' smile returned and he nodded slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. Dean smiled back and followed him in the direction of the library. Cas sat down at a table in the back and Dean followed suit, sitting next to Cas and placing his backpack on top of the table.

"So what do you normally do here?" Dean asked, feeling slightly out of place. He never really came to the library, at least not to hang out. Even though he was here with Cas, he felt like he was unwelcomed. People were giving him confused looks and he turned his gaze back to Cas in order to avoid them. He didn't owe anyone an explanation.

"I usually just read or do homework," Cas replied, placing his hand on Dean's leg under the table in a comforting gesture. Dean knew Cas must have noticed his discomfort. He smiled back at Cas, then, thankful to have him. "Do you have any homework you need help with or anything? I don't have much to do, today, and I wouldn't mind helping you," Cas continued.

Dean blushed. Yes, there was work he needed help with, but he wasn't sure if he wanted Cas to know that. He didn't want him to think he was stupid. But when he looked up at Cas and saw the reassuring smile on his face, he knew he was overreacting. Cas liked him, Dean, for who he was. He wasn't the judgmental type.

"Uh, yeah, actually. Could you help me with my math homework?" Dean asked while pulling it out of his backpack.

"Sure," Cas smiled widely at him before pulling Dean's homework toward him and looking it over. They went over the whole assignment, Cas explaining all the concepts again, and by the time they were done, Dean actually understood what he was supposed to be doing.

"Thanks, Cas," he grinned at the other boy as he tucked his papers back into his backpack. They left the library a few minutes before lunch ended so that they wouldn't have to rush to English. They talked the whole way to class and walked in just as the bell signaling the end of lunch was ringing. They sat down next to each other and talked until the class filled up and the teacher walked in.

"Now, class," the teacher, Dean still hadn't bothered to learn his name, began speaking at the front of the classroom. "Since we are done with our projects, we will begin reading Of Mice and Men, today," he grabbed a stack of novels and began passing them out while all the students groaned. "Now, now, no complaining! You may read silently for the rest of the period. I expect the first three chapters to be read by tomorrow. Go," and it was then that Dean realized this teacher really was hands off, either that or just lazy. Not that he minded, though. It meant he was mostly free to do what he wanted with his time.

He did read, though, knowing that Cas would kick his ass if he messed around during class. He read the words slowly, letting them sink in. Dean never was one for reading, so he just muddled his way through. He had gotten a pretty decent chunk of the reading done by the time class was over, though.

Dean waved to Cas as they parted ways for the last class of the day, and Cas waved back. Dean walked to metal shop slowly, never in a rush to get to class. The class had been split up into groups and each had been given a junk car to work on. Dean's group mostly just sat around while Dean did the work, but he really didn't mind. He didn't like fixing cars with other people, anyway, unless it was Bobby. Most people just got in the way.

After class, Dean was walking out toward the front of the school when Lisa Braeden caught up with him.

"Hey, Dean," she greeted with a flirty smile, and Dean knew exactly where this was going. He gave her a weak smile back, trying to be polite but not lead her on.

"Hey, Lisa," he greeted in response, still making his way toward the front of the school.

"I was wondering if you were busy this weekend, maybe you wanted to do something?" she asked, pouting her lips in an attempt to be cute. Dean knew all the moves, and he would have fallen for it, too, before Cas. But, this wasn't before Cas; this was after Cas, and now, those lips just weren't so appealing anymore.

"Yeah, I don't think so, Lisa. Sorry," Dean responded. That got Lisa's attention.

"Why? If you're busy, we could always go another time. I mean, I promise to make it worth your while," she tried to tempt him, sending him a grin he knew was supposed to be sexy. But all Dean could think about was how the grin was nowhere near as sincere as Cas'.

"No, I'm still gonna have to pass, Lisa. Just not into it," Dean responded, trying to still be as polite as possible while also making it clear that he wasn't interested. Lisa stopped then, her mouth dropped open as if he had slapped her in the face. Dean snickered quietly, but continued walking, not interested in seeing what was going to happen next.

When he reached the front of the school he found Cas leaning against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest and an angry expression on his face. Dean's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he walked over to Cas. What had upset him so much? He'd almost never seen Cas angry.

"Hey, Cas. You, uh, you okay?" Dean asked as he approached, trying to remain cautious. Cas was usually a calm person, but when he was angry, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"What did Lisa want?" he asked automatically, glaring daggers at Dean. Dean swallowed as he now knew the anger was directed at him.

"She asked me if I wanted to hang out next weekend," Dean answered honestly. Cas' eyes narrowed and he looked away. "I said no, Cas," Dean clarified, hoping that would ease the tension. Cas simply huffed and continued looking away from Dean, the angry expression still on his face. Realization dawned on Dean, and he couldn't hide the amusement in his voice when he asked "Oh, Jeez, Cas. Are you jealous?"

The glare Cas sent him was murderous and any hint of a chuckle Dean had been about to expose was gone. "No!" he defended, but Dean could tell he clearly was. "You didn't tell her about me, did you?" his voice was quieter this time, and the anger was being replaced by hurt. Dean's chest tightened; he didn't know what to do. How could he make this situation better? What did Cas want from him? In response to Dean's silence, Cas continued. "When she asked why you wouldn't go out with her, what did you say? And I know she asked, because a girl like Lisa Braeden doesn't just accept no as an answer. You didn't tell her about me, did you?"

Dean opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally finding his voice. "No, I just, uh, I told her I wasn't interested," he spoke softly, not wanting to worsen the situation.

"Are you ashamed of me?" Cas spoke in almost a whisper.

"No, of course not!" Dean responded immediately. How could Cas think Dean was ashamed of him? Dean was anything but ashamed. Cas was smart and clever and funny and way more than Dean ever deserved. Cas finally looked up, making eye contact with Dean. He still looked sad and tired.

"I don't want to be your secret, Dean," he stated quietly, sighing afterwards and looking away again. "I-I'm sorry. Forget about it, let's just go home." He unfolded his arms and began to walk toward the Impala, but Dean grabbed his arm and spun him around. The parking lot was almost full, now, kids walking out to their cars to drive home from school. Dean looked around him, at all the eyes, all the witnesses to this scene. Dean's stomach churned at the idea of what he was about to do. He was nervous about people finding out, yeah. But that didn't excuse him for treating Cas this way. And, hell, why should he be nervous? Just cause Cas is a guy? He's still fucking brilliant and perfect and anyone who had an issue with them can go to hell. Cas needed this, and Dean needed to do this for him.

Dean pulled Cas forward, slowly, giving him plenty of time to pull away. Cas just stared at him with a confused expression before Dean pressed their lips together, softly, this time, trying to convey affection instead of lust. He needed Cas to know that he wasn't ashamed, but proud, and that Cas mean more to Dean than the arbitrary opinions of their classmates.

Cas stiffened for a moment, his eyes going wide before they closed slowly and he relaxed into the kiss, throwing his arms around Dean's neck and pulling him closer. Dean smiled at that, placing his hand on Cas' back and pulling his body into Dean's, his other hand resting on Cas' hip. Dean heard a loud gasp to his right, and then a few 'oh my god's, but he didn't care anymore. He knew that the whole student body was staring at them, but all that mattered was making sure Cas was okay, that he was reassured.

Dean pulled out of the kiss and looked at Cas, the question prevalent in his eyes. Cas beamed at him, his eyes shining with a happiness and pride Dean had never seen in them. Cas grabbed Dean's hand and led them toward the Impala, through the crowd of gaping onlookers. Dean noticed Anna and Jo, both grinning like crazy, and Jo even gave Dean a thumbs up. Dean chuckled at that, walking over to the car to find Sam leaning against the trunk, a huge grin on his face. He clapped Dean on the back before turning around to stick his tongue out at the crowd, most of which were still staring. Dean knew it would be a shock when people found out, but, damn, he didn't think they would be this damn surprised. He and Cas weren't a circus attraction, just two people who wanted to be together. What was wrong with that?

The two boys climbed into the car, Cas grabbing Dean's hand as soon as Dean was settled in the driver's seat, and Dean pulled out of the parking lot, ignoring the crowd that slowly disappeared in his rearview mirror and focusing instead on rubbing soothing circles into the hand that was clasping his own.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Dean knew the next day was going to be bad. He knew people were going to stare. He knew people were going to whisper things behind his back. He knew people were going to tease and torment him. He knew they would send him dirty looks in the hallway and perhaps throw papers with derogatory slurs written on them or shove him in the hallways. Dean knew the next day was going to be bad.

Dean was right.

When Cas and Dean had arrived at school that day, it was to a mob. It seemed as if the whole student body was gathered in the parking lot, waiting especially for them. Dean didn't know why the hell it was such a big deal, but it apparently was. The crowd split to let the car drive by and park and Dean would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to just run them all over. He might have if not for the fact that it would cover Baby in blood and dent her hood.

Cas started fidgeting as soon as he saw the crowd. Dean knew he was nervous. Cas had suffered this before, hell, Dean had even seen him suffer it at this school. Cas was out; everyone knew about him. So he knew what was coming. But that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

When they stepped out of the car, Dean walked over to Cas and grabbed his hand immediately, trying to comfort him and anchor himself. Dean wasn't used to being shunned like this. Sure, he had never been the most popular, but he was still relatively well liked. This was new for him. He didn't regret it, not at all, but he still felt strange being under the hateful gaze of his classmates.

Cas squeezed Dean's hand and didn't let go. His hands were sweaty and Dean squeezed back to let him know that it was going to be okay and that Dean wouldn't let anything happen to him.

Dean looked over at Sam. He had a defiant expression on his face. His head was held high, a sneer sent to every student who was glaring at the three boys. Dean knew Sam supported him. Dean knew the kid was strong and defiant. But he couldn't help but feel bad. This wasn't Sam's problem. The kid didn't deserve to be ostracized for this; he hadn't done anything, and now Dean had set him up to be known as the brother of the gay Dean Winchester for his entire high school career. Sam deserved better.

When they first started walking toward the school, the crowd split, just like it had for the Impala when Dean had pulled into the parking lot. They were about halfway to the door when the jeers started.

"Hey, faggots!" Dean heard from a guy behind him. "Why don't you just fucking leave? Nobody wants you here."

"Yeah," someone else agreed. "You're going to infect us all. Stay the hell away from me."

Dean tightened his grip on Cas' hand. It was taking everything in him not to turn around and start swinging. This was complete and utter bullshit. They hadn't done anything to anyone. But giving in and fighting would only get him in trouble, and then he would get suspended, or expelled, and then they would win. The faggot would be banned from school property, no longer able to taint their perfectly heterosexual institution.

And Cas. If Dean was kicked out of school, that would leave Cas alone, forcing him to fend for himself. He knew Cas could take care of himself, knew the boy could handle himself in a fight, but Dean would more quickly go to hell than leave Cas to face this alone every day. Cas deserved better, too.

So Dean grasped Cas' hand, gritted his teeth, and said nothing, did nothing. He kept his head held high and walked into school, ignoring the demeaning shouts behind him.

He waved bye to Sam, telling him to be careful and not to take shit from anybody, and then began walking toward Cas' class, their hands still firmly grasped. Cas had tried to release Dean's hand when they came to the hallway where they normally split to go to their separate classes, but Dean held firmly, refusing to let Cas off on his own just yet. So they walked to Cas' class and when they reached it, Dean pulled Cas toward him and pressed their lips together.

He didn't do it to spite anyone, though he'd be lying if he said that wasn't an added bonus. He did it to reassure Cas. He could see the uncertain look in his eyes, feel the nerves in his sweaty palms. He needed Cas to be okay. He wouldn't leave until he was. So, he kissed him, softly and tenderly, trying to relay every ounce of encouragement and affection he could through the simple press of lips.

When he pulled away, Cas' eyes were gleaming and Dean knew he had helped the other boy. Cas moved in to press one more quick kiss to Dean's lips before pulling back.

"See you in art?" he asked, looking up at Dean with a small smile.

"Of course, Angel," Dean agreed, returning the smile.

"You know you've called me that twice now, and I think I could get used to it," Cas chuckled.

"Well, you are named after an angel, aren't you? Seems only fitting," Dean agreed, smirking.

Cas gawked at him for a moment before responding. "Well, yes, but how did you know that? Nobody knows that."

"I, uh, well," Dean spluttered, trying to find a way to answer without sounding pathetic. "When we first met and you told me your name, I wondered what it meant, so I looked it up." Dean rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks heating up. He looked down at his shoes waiting for Cas to respond. When he didn't, Dean ventured a look up to find the other boy beaming at him.

"Who would've known you were so sentimental?" Cas asked, replacing his grin with a smirk.

Dean's jaw dropped momentarily before he recovered, grabbing Cas' shirt and pulling him closer. "Shut up," he muttered before kissing the other boy again. Cas chuckled against Dean's lips before kissing back.

"Nice diversion," Cas commented after they separated. Dean turned to look over his shoulder, already walking toward his class.

"It's effective," he called to the dark haired boy, winking and making his way through the halls to his own class. Dean walked into the classroom, ignoring the numerous stares, and sitting in his normal seat. He hadn't been there long when he heard a noise from behind him.

"Pssst," he heard, looking around to find out where it was coming from. "Hey, Winchester," he heard the voice again, accompanied by a poke in his right shoulder blade. He turned around to find the source of the disturbance. There was a girl sitting behind him with bright red hair falling over her shoulders. Dean had seen her around a few times but they had never spoken. He raised his eyebrow at her, already preparing for the worst.

"What, are you going to harass me, too?" he asked, not even hiding the sneer in his voice. She raised her eyebrow at that and smiled at him.

"No, but if that's how you're handling the people who are harassing you, I salute you," she lifted her hand to her forehead and snapped it out in a mock salute. "No, I'm not harassing you." She stuck out her hand to Dean. "Charlie Bradbury, resident lesbian. I am quite happy with your choice because it just means more girls are left on the market for me," she smiled and Dean couldn't help but laugh, wondering why he had never spoken to her before. He shook her hand and smiled back at her, glad that at least something good was happening today.

"Dean Winchester, although you already seem to know me," they released their hands, but Dean stayed turned towards her.

"Oh, everyone knows about you, now. Well known ladies' man turned gay for dreamy newcomer?" She rolled her eyes at this. "Yeah, I heard you put on quite a show yesterday in the parking lot."

Dean huffed a sigh. "Yeah, I'm sure everyone knows about that by now. It's funny how fast news travels in high school."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "Well, just so you know, I give you major props. It took some real balls to do what you did. You ever get into any trouble, I got your back."

Dean smiled widely at the girl before him. "Thanks. Same goes to you." He offered and the girl returned his smile before the teacher entered the classroom and called for the attention of the class. Dean turned around in his seat to face the front of the room, glad that at least something good had happened today.

Second period didn't go so well. Just as Dean anticipated, students taunted him with angry slurs and even threw threatening notes at the back of his head after the teacher had called for silence. Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. He had known to expect this, and if this was the worst he got, then he could handle it.

Needless to say, Dean was extremely annoyed by the time he walked into the art classroom, but that all disappeared when he walked in and saw Cas sitting at his usual seat. He immediately felt relief and happiness wash through him at the sight of the other boy, but that quickly turned to worry when he saw the Cas' face. He looked up at Dean when he walked in and Dean saw he had wadded up toilet paper in his hand, held to a bleeding lip. Dean felt the worry in his gut like a ten pound weight.

"What happened?" he asked, electing to sit beside Cas this time instead of across from him, reaching up to grab the toilet paper out of Cas' hand and away from his lip to assess the damage. Cas' lip was cracked and bleeding, a bruise forming on his jaw.

"Some guys caught up with me on my way to class. They couldn't do much, but one of them punched me before I even knew what was happening," he looked down, fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt. Dean balled his hands into fists before relaxing, looking at Cas, knowing he had to hold it together for the other boy.

"Who did it?" He asked, his voice shaking with the effort it took to try and conceal his anger. Cas looked up at him and bit his lip, immediately flinching when he bit the cracked side.

"It was the same guys as before. The ones you stopped at the beginning of the year," Cas answered, casting his eyes downward. Dean nodded, clenching his jaw. He placed his hand under Cas' chin and lifted his head up, holding the toilet paper back up to Cas' lip and rubbing gently to clean the dried blood away.

"I'm sorry, Cas," Dean apologized, meeting the other boy's eyes. "I promise I won't let this happen to you again," he vowed, his jaw now set in determination instead of anger.

Cas' eyes moistened, but he smiled softly. "Dean, you have nothing to apologize for. It is not your job to protect me, although I know you will not agree with that."

Dean chuckled. "Hey, cute and smart. What do you know? Looks like I got the complete package."

Cas smiled back at Dean before their attention was drawn to somebody plopping into Dean's former seat.

"Hola, Bitches," the red haired girl greeted, and Dean smiled before his brow scrunched in confusion.

"Wait, I didn't know you had this class."

"That's because you're oblivious, duh," Charlie chided, smirking at Dean while he gave her an annoyed look reminiscent of Sam's signature bitchface, but nowhere near as effective. Cas looked between the two of them, confused. Dean's brain suddenly caught up and he made with the introductions.

"Cas, this is Charlie. We met in first period. She's cool," he glanced at the girl to see a smug expression on her face, and he rolled his eyes. "Charlie, this is my boyfriend, Cas," the words were out of Dean's mouth before he even registered what he was saying. He smiled to himself, though, surprised by how naturally the sentence emerged and how right it all felt. Cas' eyes opened wide, but then a small smile caused the corner of his mouth to raise just a little and his eyes to gleam a lot. Dean grabbed Cas' hand and raised it to his mouth, kissing the back of it while looking at the other boy affectionately. Cas blushed and looked at the floor.

"Aww, aren't you two disgustingly cute and cliché?" Charlie piped up from the other side of the table and Dean scowled at the girl, his cheeks tinged slightly red.

Cas held out the hand Dean wasn't holding and offered it to the girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Charlie."

"Pleasure's all mine, Brochacho," she countered, taking his hand and shaking it, before she seemed to notice the blood still slowly oozing out of Cas' lip. Her smile wavered a tiny bit before it was back in place. Cas got distracted, then, pulling his notebook and supplies out of his backpack. Charlie met Dean's gaze, a darkened expression on her face, and Dean nodded, knowing what had caused it.

The teacher walked in and announced that they were to finish the rest of their project at home and that he would be giving a lecture and they had better take notes because this lecture was "imperative to [their] success." Dean rolled his eyes but took out his notebook and began taking notes anyway. He was copying the notes from the lecture when a piece of paper slid in front of him. He looked curiously at it before noticing words were scribbled on it.

iWhat happened?/i It wasn't Cas' handwriting so he knew it had to be Charlie's. He looked up to confirm and made eye contact with her before looking back down at the note.

iSome guys caught up with him after class. I'm sure you can figure out the rest./i He responded, sliding the paper silently back across the table.

iWhat did they look like?/i

iWhy?/i

iJust tell me, Dean./i Dean rolled his eyes, both amused and annoyed at how this girl was already chastising him as if she were his mother.

iFine, jeez. One of em had dark hair and these beady little brown eyes. One had light hair and these weird yellow looking eyes. I don't know, I've only seen them once and it was weeks ago./i

iMy number is 839-0927. Call or text me if you ever need anything. Don't worry about the guys. I'll take care of it./i

Dean looked up at Charlie to find her already staring at him, her jaw set in a hard line and a look of anger that seemed so out of place on her face. He thought about trying to talk her out of it. He didn't want her to get involved in something that wasn't even her problem and get hurt. But her expression told him it would be pointless, and he simply nodded his head, folding up the paper and putting it in his binder so that he could put her number into his phone later.

After class, Dean and Cas headed to the library, bidding Charlie adieu outside of their classroom. They walked hand in hand this time, Dean refusing to let Cas go, and found an empty table to sit at. People were staring at them, but nobody made a move to do anything to them, and, for that, Dean was silently thankful.

Cas got out his homework and began working on it and Dean pulled out his novel and began scanning the pages, pretending to read. He rested his hand on Cas' thigh in a comforting gesture and the boy smiled at him in thanks as he did.

The two stayed like that for most of the lunch period, until Cas was done with his homework. After they both put their books away, they talked about mostly nothing until the bell rang, and they joined hands again as they made their way toward class. They sat next to each other, and it seemed as if the stares were finally beginning to die down. Dean smiled over at Cas and he smiled back, obviously feeling contented at the decrease in attention, as well.

When the teacher walked in he announced that they would be given a quick quiz to make sure they had done the reading. Dean smirked to himself when he realized, for once, he actually had. He supposed he had Cas to thank for that, and he reminded himself to do something extra nice for him to show him how much Dean appreciated him.

The quiz was surprisingly easy. Dean answered all the questions quickly and with confidence. When they passed the quizzes forward, he looked over to find Cas giving him a proud smile and he couldn't help but return it.

They then began a discussion about the novel, and Dean began to tune out, but then he looked over at Cas. If completing a quiz had made him so proud, just imagine how proud he would be if Dean participated in class.

So, he did. Dean raised his hand, and he commented on what he thought and when he looked over at Cas, he knew his plan had worked. The boy was beaming. It was more than worth it.

Dean said goodbye to Cas outside of his classroom reluctantly before trudging to metal shop. He didn't usually like working in class, but working on his project car actually helped him clear his head, allowed him to focus on something other than the ridiculous amount of unwanted negative attention he and Cas were receiving. It was almost therapeutic.

When class was over Dean practically ran to Cas' classroom, eager not to let him be alone more than was necessary. He caught up with him just as he was exiting the classroom.

"Hey, Angel," Dean greeted the other boy as he walked out.

Cas started, looking up at Dean with surprise. "You never meet me here. We always meet out front," he observed, tilting his head in confusion.

"Oh, you know, just couldn't wait to see those big blue eyes of yours," Dean teased with a lopsided grin and Cas just rolled his eyes before grabbing Dean's hand and leading him toward the parking lot.

Dean knew something was up when Sam didn't look up at them when they approached the Impala. He simply stared at the ground, mumbling a sound of recognition when they approached. He even allowed Cas to sit shotgun, climbing into the backseat before either of the two older boys could protest. So when Sam hadn't spoken or looked up by the time Dean was pulling into the driveway of their house, he knew something was seriously wrong.

"Alright, Sammy, what's up?" Dean asked, turning around in his seat to look at his younger brother.

"Nothing, Dean, let's just go home," Sam muttered, fidgeting with his hands and still not looking up.

"Don't lie to me, Sammy, I know you. I know when something's wrong." It was then that Dean realized Sam still hadn't looked at him. "Sam, what's wrong with your face? Look at me," Dean demanded, reaching over the seat to lift Sam's face up so he could see it. Dean's jaw clenched when he saw the dark purple bruise blossoming on his little brother's cheek.

No. This was it. This was the last straw. Nobody laid with Sam Winchester if Dean was around to do anything about it. And Dean was definitely around to do something about it.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

"They got my brother, Charlie!" Dean yelled into his cell phone, pacing back and forth in his bedroom. Cas sat on his bed, worrying his lips between his teeth, his forehead creased in worry. He was watching Dean with an attentive stare, his fingers pulling aimlessly at the sleeves of his shirt.

"I'm not going to calm down," Dean exclaimed, flailing his arms as if Charlie's suggestion was ridiculous.

"No, he's my brother, Charlie. iI'm/i going to take care of it." Cas' eyes widened at this proclamation and Dean turned away so he didn't have to see that concerned expression on the other boy's face.

"Okay," Charlie finally forfeited, exasperation leaking into her voice even through the scratchy receiver. "I'll come up with a plan. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Okay," Dean finally agreed, exhaling deeply. He pulled the phone from his ear and pressed the end button, finally turning to look at Cas. The other boy was looking down, still fidgeting with his sleeves, his eyes closed.

"You okay, Cas?" Dean asked, sitting next to the other boy on the bed. He meekly nodded, eyes still closed and head still hung. "Hey," Dean continued, pulling Cas' head up. Cas opened his eyes slowly, blue irises meeting green. "Talk to me," Dean requested, lowering his hand. Cas' eyes narrowed before he opened his mouth, hesitating a moment before actually speaking.

"At first, I was worried about you. I didn't want you to retaliate and get in trouble or bring the attention onto yourself. But, I thought about it, and I think I understand. Sam is the most important thing in your life, I understand." He paused there, biting his lip before continuing. "I like to think I would do the same if something happened to Gabriel." He looked up at Dean then, eyes hardened. "I want to help," he concluded, his voice firm enough to discourage any kind of opposition. Dean wanted to say no, tell Cas that it wasn't his problem, but he didn't. Sammy didn't belong to Dean. Cas cared about him, too. And he knew when Cas set his mind to it, it was useless to try and dissuade him. So, Dean nodded his affirmation as Cas reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

It wasn't until art the next day that Dean and Cas were actually able to discuss the plan with Charlie. Dean had glared his way through his first two classes, using intimidation to prevent anyone from messing with them. He had tried to talk Sammy into staying home, but, of course, he had refused.

Dean met Cas outside of the classroom and they walked in together, sitting across from Charlie. The girl looked up to acknowledge their presence and after the teacher had given them free reign to work on their projects (which Dean still hadn't started), she looked up at the pair.

"So, did you come up with anything?" Dean questioned, looking at the girl expectantly. A smug smile emerged on her lips, a triumphant glint in her eye. She nodded, opening her mouth to explain.

"I hacked into the school system and lowered all their grades, though it's not like that did much good since they were already pretty much failing anyway. But I also hacked into the county system and gave them all warrants for suspicion of grand theft auto and possession of a controlled substance." She crossed her arms over her chest and let the smug smile slide back into place. Dean gaped at her, mouth hanging open, suddenly aware of how truly menacing this girl could be, but Cas' eyebrows knitted together and he looked up at Charlie.

"Wait, how did you know their names?" he asked, looking at the other girl expectantly.

"Dean gave me a description of the ones he had seen and I went from there. It wasn't difficult to figure out once he told me about the yellow eyes. Azazel's eyes are pretty unique. I just assumed the rest of them were the other kids he hung out with. The other one Dean described to me was most likely Crowley," she spoke animatedly, obviously proud of her powers of deduction. A small smile slid onto Cas' face. He was obviously impressed with Charlie. "But," Charlie continued, "What I've done may take a while to actually make an impact on them, so I was thinking we could do something with a bit more immediate consequences." She waggled her eyes at the boys before clapping her hands together, clasping them on the table in front of them.

"So, what do you want to do?" Dean asked, finally finding his voice after his bewildered awe at the girl in front of him.

"I want to make their lives hell," Charlie said with a wide grin. "I've already put sugar into the gas tanks of all their cars," Dean winced at this, but Charlie continued as if nothing had happened. "I listed their houses on the online list of registered sex offenders. I talked to my friend, Ash, and he's going to help me sneak into Crowley's house tonight and reset his thermostat then disconnect the adjustment lever so that we can make their houses hotter than hell; they'll be begging for the snow to begin to fall. I've also placed a snake in the back of Azazel's car, and I think that's going to give him quite a scare when he tries to drive home, before the sugar kills his engine, of course. And that's just the beginning. I figured instead of one grand attack, we would kill them slowly, one prank at a time. It'll be torturous. And that way, if we get caught doing one thing, we won't get into too much trouble seeing as each act by itself really isn't that bad. Oh, but trust me, once they all add up, those boys will be wishing they had never messed with any of you," Charlie grinned again at this, and Dean couldn't help but chuckle at how proud the redhead seemed of herself.

"Sounds good, Charlie," Dean agreed, looking over to see that Cas was trying to hide his smirk. That boy tried to act all prim and proper but, underneath it all, he was as corrupt as the rest of them. Dean loved it. "One condition, though," Dean added and Charlie looked up at him. "I want to go with you tonight."

Charlie grinned up at him. "Don't wanna miss out on the fun, huh?" she chuckled. "Alright. What about you, Cas? You in?" She turned her gaze to him and the smirk on his face only grew larger.

"Yes. I'm in," he replied.

Charlie arrived at Dean's house at about one in the morning. Dean had warned her not to honk the horn and wake Sam, so when his phone started ringing, he knew that was his and Cas' signal. They walked quietly down the stairs and out the front door, climbing into the backseat of the car waiting for them.

"Guys, this is Ash. Ash, these are the guys," Charlie motioned from Dean and Cas sat in the back seat.

"I know Ash," Dean piped up, laughing as the mulleted man in the front seat turned around to fist bump him.

"It's been a while, Winchester," Ash chuckled, turning back around to face the front of the car. "Thanks for giving me a reason to break the law again. It's been far too long since I've done anything illegal," he commented, his face serious. Castiel seemed a little surprised but Dean simply laughed and nodded.

"Welcome, Ash," he agreed, shaking his head at the questioning look Cas sent him. 'That's just how he is' he mouthed at him and Cas squinted his eyes before nodding and turning away.

Charlie parked the car around the corner from the house and they all crept around the block, climbing the fence to enter the house from the backyard where no prying neighbors could see them. Ash pulled out his knife and wedged the window lock open, sliding it open silently. The four teens climbed in, watching their steps carefully. Dean walked around, looking at everything he could find, trying to get a feel for the guy he was trying to destroy.

Dean signaled to the other three teens that he would be right back before setting offon his own. Ash and Charlie waved him off, already messing with the thermostat. Cas looked like he wanted to follow, but Dean motioned for him to stay. If he got caught, he didn't want Cas with him. He might be able to warn the other three so they could get out before they got caught, too.

Dean walked up the stairs slowly, testing each step before he put his full weight on it to make sure none of them creaked. When he got upstairs, he opened the first door he came to, surprised by his luck when he saw the figure of one of the guys who had attacked Cas, Crowley, if he remembered correctly, passed out on the bed. Dean began searching through things as quietly as possible, looking for something, anything, that he could use against this guy.

He looked through a stack of books on the nightstand, pulling out a plain black leather one and looking at it with interest. It appeared to be a photo album, but when he opened the first page, it was blank. He flipped through the pages until he came to about the middle of the book, where he found the perfect weapon against the boy sleeping only a few feet from him.

In the middle of the photo album, surrounded by blank pages to hide them from the eyes of unwanted intruders, was page upon page of pictures of Crowley in various pairs of women's underwear and lingerie.

Dean had to stifle a laugh. This kid really was stupid. Wearing women's underwear was one thing (Dean would admit, to himself at least, that he had worn women's underwear before. And, okay, maybe he had like it. A little). But taking pictures of yourself in said underwear and, on top of that, keeping them all together in a neat little photo album? This guy was asking for trouble.

Dean couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he gripped the album tightly in his hand before leaving the room, shutting the door quietly and walking back down the staircase.

By the time he got back to the group, Ash was placing the cover back on the thermostat and Cas was leaning against the kitchen counter. All three teens looked confused at the book in Dean's hands, but he simply held a finger up to his lips and pointed at the window, indicating that he would tell them later. They all climbed back out the window, Ash relocking the lock from the outside to cover their tracks, and walked quickly back to the car. When they were safely inside, Charlie turned back to him.

"Alright, so what's with the book?" she asked, giving him a pointed look. Dean simply grinned before handing the book to Charlie. She opened the book, obviously confused as she scanned through the pages, until she came across the pictures Dean had discovered. Her jaw dropped open but by the time she turned around to give the book back to Dean, a huge grin had spread itself across her face.

Oh, yeah. Crowley was so screwed.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

At school the next day, Dean kept his eyes peeled for the boys who had messed with them, desperate to see if their plan had had any effect yet. He was disappointed, however, when he couldn't find any of them.

When Dean walked into art, Charlie gave him possibly the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face before handing back the photo album. She has borrowed it the night before, saying she wanted to scan the pictures into her computer because she had "big plans" for them. He had tried to ask her what she was going to do, but she had simply waved him off and told him he would have to wait to find out, just like everybody else.

"When do I get to find out what you've done with the pictures?" he asked, both excited and curious about what other devious schemes the girl in front of him could come up with.

"The first wave will come tomorrow," she spoke cryptically, winking at him before turning to her project. Dean looked over to see Cas working diligently, though he was turned away from Dean so Dean couldn't see what he was drawing. He had tried to convince Cas to show him, but Cas had refused, saying he would show Dean when he was done. Dean sighed, looking down at his own blank paper, before picking up his pencil and beginning to sketch out a rough outline of the scene.

He had chosen the Christmas when he and Sam were young and Sam had given Dean his amulet. It was supposed to be a gift for their father, but he, of course, bailed on them. So Sam gave it to Dean and, to that day, Dean had kept it with him.

Dean began with sketching the big things. The coffee table in the motel room they were staying in (they only had a house now because Bobby had threatened to beat John if he kept dragging the boys around). He outlined the tiny shrub that they had tried to pass off as a Christmas tree that year. He drew Sammy, a huge grin on his face, as Dean held up the amulet to observe it.

Before Dean knew it, the bell was ringing and he was shuffling off to lunch with Cas. Dean had invited Sam to sit with them, but Sam had declined, saying that changing his habits would only give the bullies satisfaction and that he wanted to sit with his friends. Dean was worried about leaving Sam on his own, but he agreed, telling Sam he and Cas would be in the library if he needed anything.

Once they were both sat in the library, Cas surprised Dean by leaning forward and pressing a hard kiss to his lips. Dean was stunned for a moment before relaxing and kissing back. Cas broke the kiss after a few moments, looking into Dean's eyes.

"What was that for?" Dean asked, sending Cas a quizzical look.

"I've missed you," Cas said, biting his lip and looking down. "Besides, do I really need a reason to kiss you?" he asked, looking up at Dean with a small smile on his lips.

"No, Cas," Dean agreed, grabbing Cas' hand and twining their fingers together. "You don't need any reason at all."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and Dean was starting to wonder when they hell the bubble was going to burst. Their little break-in seemed rather anticlimactic now that nothing else was going on. He supposed he could wait until the next day and hope that whatever Charlie did with the pictures was good enough to satiate Dean's hunger for revenge.

Dean woke up the next morning to his cell phone ringing on the nightstand. He groaned, reaching over to pick it up. Cas reacted to his movement, groaning along with him, tightening his grip on Dean's torso and trying to pull him back into bed. Dean grabbed the phone before Cas' strength overtook him and he was pulled back into the covers and the iron tight grip of Cas' arms. He kissed the top of Cas' head before answering the phone and raising it to his ear.

"Why the hell are you calling so damn early?" Dean greeted the anonymous caller.

"It's only half an hour before you normally get up," it was Charlie. Dean groaned, rolling over into bed and closing his eyes again.

"What do you want?" he asked, sleep already taking him again.

"I want you to get your lazy ass out of bed," she answered and Dean grunted in response. "GET UP!" she yelled into the phone and Dean jumped, startled, before falling to the ground with a hard thud. Dean groaned again, looking up to see a bewildered Cas looking over the edge of the bed before he burst out laughing.

"Shut up," Dean scolded over Cas' laughter, slowly sitting up but not climbing back into bed. "What is so damn important?" he asked, finally giving Charlie the attention she wanted.

"Which way do you normally drive to school?" she asked.

"The easiest way," Dean replied sarcastically, annoyed at the violent wakeup call.

"Well, alter your route to take you past Cedar Avenue," she ordered.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Just do it. Trust me, it will be worth it." She hung up before Dean could respond. Cas climbed out of bed as Dean hung up the phone and he walked over to the closet, beginning to dress.

"What did Charlie want?" he asked as he buttoned up his shirt.

"She wants us to drive by Cedar Avenue on our way to school."

"Why?" Cas asked as he pulled up his jeans (well, Dean's jeans that Cas had never returned).

"Wouldn't say. Just said it would be worth it," Dean answered, crawling over to the closet and forcing himself to stand and begin to dress.

The two boys came downstairs to find that Sam had already prepared breakfast for them, and Dean smiled at his little brother as he began to eat the pancakes sitting on the table. Sam had even gone far enough to bake bacon bits into Dean's pancakes and blueberries into Cas'. That kid was too damn nice. His bruise was healing nicely, and it was now only a pale yellow color. But it was still there, and seeing it again only made Dean angry, so he looked away, focusing on eating his syrupy breakfast.

When they began driving to school, Dean made the necessary turn to take them toward Cedar Avenue instead of continuing straight toward school.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked from the passenger seat.

"Cedar Avenue," Dean answered, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Why?"

"Charlie told us to," Dean answered, finally turning onto the designated street. Dean hated Cedar Avenue. It was the busiest street in town and it was always packed with traffic. Dean was annoyed that he was taking this inconvenient route, especially when he didn't know why. He began looking around, wondering what the hell Charlie was talking about, when Cas gasped from the back seat.

"Oh!" Cas exclaimed from the backseat, his jaw slack.

"What?" Dean turned around to look at him, worried something had happened to him. The boy simply pointed out the passenger side window. Dean looked where Cas was pointing and his jaw dropped.

On a giant billboard, in the busiest part of town, was a huge blown up picture of Crowley in a pair of especially frilly pink underwear. Charlie was right. The long route was worth it.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

When the three boys walked into school, Dean knew that the excitement he had been waiting for was finally going to happen. Everybody was talking about the billboard. The halls were filled with the sound of students chattering animatedly about the revealing picture that was being so publicly displayed. Apparently Charlie's strategic placement of it had been effective, as it seemed the whole school had seen the picture.

Dean heard Crowley before he saw him. The yells were echoing about the halls. All eyes turned on him, both for his volume and because everybody had officially seen him in women's underwear. Students would snicker when he walked by, pointing in his direction and joking with their friends. He glared at all of them but continued walking, a grimace fixed on his face. When his eyes settled on Dean, they narrowed and he made his way toward the other teen.

"You!" he yelled, marching up to Dean and shoving him into the lockers. "You did this! What the hell did you do?" Dean said nothing, opting to instead send the furious boy an award winning smile, winking at him as he did so. Crowley's face grew angrier and he pulled his fist back, preparing to punch Dean, before another fist collided with his face. Dean turned to see Castiel, his features covered in rage, his hands clenched at his sides. Crowley fell to the floor, holding his face and looking up at Castiel. Cas walked over to Crowley, kneeling down beside him and looking him right in the eyes.

"If you lay another finger on the Winchesters, you will regret it." His voice was menacing and his expression threatening. Cas stood, grabbing Dean's hand as he passed and leading him toward his classroom.

"Thanks," Dean spoke once they were outside his classroom. Cas tried to force a smile, but it didn't look quite genuine, the anger still permeating his features. Cas stood on his tiptoes, placing a soft kiss on Dean's forehead, before turning and walking away.

Dean was sitting in second period when he got the text. Well, when everyone got the text. Every cell phone in the classroom went off at the same time. The teacher huffed in annoyance and threatened to suspend anyone who checked their phone, but most people did anyway. Dean waited until he was leaving the classroom to open it. It was from a number he didn't recognize, and inside was a link. Using his phone's browser, Dean opened the link, gaping when it took him to a webpage covered in all the pictures he had taken from Crowley's bedroom. It also had what the site claimed to be a live feed of the huge television screens in Times Square. Those were covered in the half naked Crowley pictures, too. Dean couldn't help the laughter that burst forth from his throat, bending over to hold his stomach as he laughed. When he walked into art, Charlie looked up at him with a smug smile.

"You did this?" he asked, motioning to his phone.

"I had computers first period. I worked on it then," she shrugged, the smile still plastered to her lips. Even Cas was smiling when he walked into the classroom, sitting down with a highly amused expression on his face. He looked over to Charlie and beamed.

"Thank you," he whispered, amusement laced with genuine gratitude. Charlie nodded at him, smiling in return, before class was called to order and they all began working on their assignments.

The end of school was even better than the beginning of school. Everybody was talking about not only the billboard, but the website and the exposure in New York, as well. Crowley walked out of the school and the crowd split, just like they had when Dean and Cas had left school that day they had kissed. Everybody gawked at him, some people even catcalling to him and yelling out insults. To top it all off, Crowley's right eye was purple and swollen, the bruise spreading down his cheek. Dean chuckled to himself as he, Cas and Sam climbed into the car, sending a sarcastic wave to Crowley when he spotted him. Served the bastard right.

That night, as he lay in bed with Cas, their arms tangled and a contented expression on both of their faces, Dean made a decision. He shifted his face to look at Cas, the boy he was dating, the boy he was living with, and kissed the top of his head before speaking.

"Hey Cas?" he asked warily, nervous for what he was about to do.

"Mmm?" the other boy asked, shifting his head on Dean's chest so he could look into his eyes.

"I've been thinking and," Dean faltered, taking a deep breath to steady himself before continuing, "I want you to meet Bobby."

Cas looked up at him, a shocked expression on his face. "Is this your version of asking me to meet the parents?" he asked, a small smile on his face. Dean nodded meekly, forcing himself to continue looking at Cas. Cas' smile widened and he leaned in to place a quick kiss to Dean's lips.

"I would love to, Dean."

Dean quickly broke out into a smile. "Really?" he asked. Cas nodded and Dean lurched forward, wrapping the boy in a tight hug and covering his face in quick kisses before cradling him into his chest and falling asleep.


End file.
